Hospital Flowers
by GoodForBad
Summary: Jimmy gets in a horrific car accident that a certain someone just so happens to witness. What follows is a test of loyalty, friendship, and the strangest things that can lift the spirits of a broken soul.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay guys, this is going to be my first attempt at a multi-chapter story, so bear with me. I have no idea why, but I was listening to the song **_**Hospital Flowers**_** by Owl City and this came to mind. Thus the title. Anyway, here goes nothing. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron, Cindy Vortex, or Hugh Neutron. This is merely to satisfy some sick side of my imagination. **

The summer air was warm and muggy, and waves of heat rose from the streets of downtown Retroville. Cindy Vortex was sitting at a table that resided outside of a new cafe that had just opened, sipping an iced tea and creating an outline for an essay-writing contest she was entering. The prompt was, _What Act of Kindness Could Change the World?_ and she was brainstorming ideas. The hot, powerful sun had been bearing down on her for about an hour, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead for the millionth time that day. It had been a mad house at the Candy Bar, and her parents had been fighting again at home, so she decided that out and about in the burning sun was the lesser of three evils, but was quickly regretting that decision. Regardless, she intended to finish this little brainstorming session before returning home and was beginning to seriously consider adding _Arresting fighting parents _to the list when a chipper, familiar voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Hey there, Vortex. Still trying to best me in the arts, I see." She raised her eyes slowly, mentally willing her suddenly-racing heart to calm, and gave her genius rival a less-than-friendly-could-be-deadly stare.

"I don't have to _try,_ Nerdtron. I'm going to ace this thing. Besides, what do you care? You're not even entering." He leaned against the fence that surrounded her private enclosure (no one else seemed too eager to brave the sun) and smiled at her, his eyes dancing. Her stomach exploded into a million tiny butterflies and she silently cursed herself for the involuntary reaction.

"I find no need to engage in such juvenile antics," he said smoothly and she visibly stiffened. "I'm too busy trying to save the world, I guess. And maybe earn a Nobel Peace Prize in the process."

"That's ridiculous," she snapped. "Though at least I now know I can credit your egotistical personality for the size of that enormous head of yours." Such a cheap shot, yet she never seemed to grow tired of the insult. Before he could respond, she continued with, "Now go away, Fudge Head. I've got some serious brainstorming to do here, and you're distracting me." To make her point, she stared hard at the notebook in front of her, brows furrowed, chin in her hands. He eyed her for a moment, drumming his fingers against the fence, until she looked up at him again. "Hello, earth to Neutron? I told you to leave!"

"With that sort of attitude, you're _bound_ to win the contest," he said with a smirk and she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand. "Unfortunately for you, I'm waiting for my dad to come pick me up. I said I'd meet him here." He raised an eyebrow as she slammed her notebook into her backpack. "Mind if I sit?"

"I do, actually," she barked and stood. "I take no pleasure in associating with big-headed jerks who insult my intelligence."

"Cindy," he said, his voice a tad gentler. "You know I was teasing you. That's what we _do,_ remember?" At that moment, a familiar blue car pulled up the car and Hugh Neutron stuck his head out the window.

"Well, hey there Jimbo! Let's get a move-on! I promised your mother that if I got home before three, we could watch the four-hour special _Flying with Ducks _tonight! We don't want to disappoint her!" Jimmy smirked and rolled his eyes as Cindy's narrowed into slits.

"Looks like your ride's here, Neutron. Better get a _move-on._" He stared at her a moment, the humor in his eyes gone.

"Okay," he finally said, slowly. "Best of luck on your essay, Vortex." He turned and opened the back car door, throwing his own backpack in and jumping in after it. He slammed the door behind him, but before Hugh took off, Jimmy rolled down the window and with a huge grin on his face added, "You'll be needing it."

"Drop dead, Neutron!" she yelled as Hugh hit the gas and they zoomed off in the opposite direction. She followed the car with her eyes, Jimmy's grinning face burned into her memory as her blood boiled. "Jerk," she muttered, taking one last sip of her tea before heading out. She had just placed her hand on the gate's door when a cold shiver went down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck bristled. For reasons she would never know, her head turned slowly in the direction of the Neutrons' car and the following impact played out in something like slow motion.

She watched, in a daze, as the red pickup headed towards a woman and her child who were waiting on the sidewalk to cross. The driver seemed to realize at the last moment what he was doing, and inexplicably steered the car to the sharp left. Hugh, seeing this all take place, slammed on the brakes. Hard. He had been going at least 45 in his rush to get home, and he didn't stop fast enough. The pickup slammed sideways into the front of their car, and something flew out the front windshield...from this distance, she couldn't tell what it was. The white sedan that had been cruising speedily behind Hugh didn't stop in time either, and made a double-impact into the back end of their car, the force sending both the pickup and the Neutrons' into the sidewalk. Shattering glass and car alarms played together in her head in a horrific cacophony of sound, but her body registered what had just happened before her brain did. Before she knew it, she was running towards the scene at full speed, dropping her bag in the street, screaming his name at the top of her lungs.

"_Jimmy!_" Traffic slowed around her and people were shouting, and rushing to and from the scene. She cared nothing for her safety and heard somewhere in the back of her mind a car slamming on its breaks...someone shouting at her? She couldn't tell. She didn't care. She didn't take her eyes off of the blue car that held the only person she actually cared about and after what felt like an eternity, reached the driver's side of the car. The back end was smashed, and the door that Jimmy had closed behind him not two minutes ago was dented in the street, but _Jimmy wasn't there._ A weird cry escaped her throat and she swiveled to the driver's side, where Hugh still sat, blood dribbling from his mouth, his eyes wide in panic. "Mr. Neutron, Mr. Neutron, where's Jimmy?" she practically screamed and he wheezed, clearly in pain.

"Find him," he whispered, tears springing from his eyes and down his face. He wasn't taking his eyes off of the road in front of him and she followed his gaze. No less than ten feet in front of her was a pile of something red and blue in color and...

"No," she whispered and she ran to the crumpled mess in the street that strongly resembled a human's form. A small cry escaped her throat as she approached as sudden realization hit her: the thing that had been ejected from the car was _Jimmy._ And he wasn't moving.

She fell to her knees and reached for him then recoiled, suddenly terrified she was going to make things worse. Even in her frazzled state, she knew she wasn't supposed to move him, she could make it worse, she could...she could...

"Jimmy?" she whispered and a gargled cough sounded from beneath her. Hope sprang ironically in her heart and she bit her lip, moving from his backside to where the cough had sounded. He was laying at an odd angle on his stomach, his body twisted in the wrong direction. Praying silently to whoever might be listening, she reached out slowly and pushed the hair from his face. It was drenched in blood and she clamped her mouth shut to keep from screaming. Scarlet streams of blood flowed freely from an open gash on his forehead, down his face and onto his arms. The arms themselves were scraped horribly with road rash, full of dirt and pebbles and it was then she noticed that he must have skidded when he was thrown through the windshield. A small trail of red that glistened in the burning sun confirmed her suspicions, but when she looked at him again, his eyes were open.

He was looking at her, eyes wide and terror-filled. He opened his mouth, to speak probably, but blood came out instead and he let out another gargling gasp and wheezed into the street. Panic was welling in her chest at the sight of him, and sobs threatened to come forth at any moment. She inhaled sharply, desperately trying to figure out what had just happened and how she was going to fix this, and forced herself to look at him, to press her hand to the bleeding wound on his head and start whispering softly to him.

"Don't try to talk, Jimmy, you're really hurt," she managed, and he tried to move instead. His body shuddered and he collapsed again, shaking uncontrollably.

"I can't...I can't...breathe," he rasped and it was then she heard the sirens in the distance.

"Just a little longer, okay? Help is coming," she offered, disgusted with how shallow her words sounded. She started praying again, trying to hide her fear, suddenly remembering what she had just told him. _I didn't mean it, I swear I didn't mean it. Don't you dare die on me, Jimmy. Please don't die. _

The smoldering asphalt was starting to burn her exposed shins, but she wasn't really feeling it. She had started to go numb as soon as she found him, and stayed that way when the paramedics came rushing in and scooped him from her protective grasp, shouting instructions at each other, strapping him to a gurney and rushing him to the ambulance in hopes of saving his life. She somehow found herself in the back of the vehicle with him, watching in detached horror as they hooked him up to all sorts of devices. She clearly heard the warnings they gave each other if this or that happened and watched in dismay when they took him away from her, rushing him off to the emergency room. She then found herself being dragged away, asking how she had hurt herself and she stared on in confusion. "I'm not hurt," she said and then she noticed the weird look the paramedic was giving her, so she looked down and finally realized she was covered in blood.

_His _blood.

Tears blurred her vision and gave way to the sobs she had tried so hard to suppress. Cindy Vortex never cried. Cindy Vortex was strong, level-headed. Nothing got in her way, and nothing scared her. She was fearless. Powerful.

But when it came to all of that, Cindy Vortex no longer cared.


	2. Sterile Apathy

**A/N: Okay guys, time for Chapter 2. Let me just start by saying that I have very little medical knowledge (I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV) so my apologies if I got some things wrong. Thanks to all who reviewed! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron, or any of the characters. I do, however, own Dr. Willows. **

Jimmy opened his eyes, closed them, and then opened them again. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was still hearing screams, shouts, sirens, and metal carving metal like a Thanksgiving turkey. He rolled his eyes blearily around the room, taking in the scents and sights that were taking longer than usual to register. _Antiseptic...windows...what is that weird beeping noise?_ He tried to turn his head in the direction of that incessant beeping, but a sharp blast of pain down his neck stopped him from doing so. He shut his eyes again, slowly piecing together where he was and why, and why taking a deep breath hurt so much, and why he couldn't move his head and -

_The accident. _

The sudden memory sent his brain into a tizzy, and everything came rushing back at once: getting in the car...saying something to Cindy...feeling the car take off too fast when he wasn't yet buckled in...

_"Dad, what is this special you mentioned? It sounds oddly familiar..." Jimmy shoved his backpack to the side, watching his father's face burst into a grin in the front seat. _

_"It's the one we watched last winter when I saw those ducks flying overhead and decided to Google the words ducks and flying and see what comes up and..." Jimmy started to tune his father out as he watched a pickup truck veering dangerously close to the sidewalk. It looked like he was going to hit those people when suddenly -_

_"Dad, look out!" Jimmy yelled and shot forward in his seat to grab the wheel. If worse came to worse, maybe he could..._

Jimmy gasped slightly and shuddered. Why had he done that? Why hadn't he stayed in the back, where it was safer? And how the heck had he survived being thrown like a projectile through the windshield of the car?

And what had happened to his dad?

He tried to sit up but found that this was too difficult to accomplish as waves of pain radiated down his spine and through his chest. Wheezing slightly, he slumped back down in defeat, tears blurring his vision. It was difficult to breathe, everything hurt, and a million questions were hurtling through his brain. "Hello?" he croaked, and he was surprised at how weak he sounded. For some reason, panic was beginning to set in...he didn't want to be alone. He raised a shaking hand and stared at it, eyeing the healing scabs, wondering where he'd gotten those, then realizing how stupid that was. _Calm down._ He took a deep breath and winced. Broken ribs were probably the culprit of this horrible ache in his chest and...was he wearing a neck brace? He reached up slowly and fingered it, trying to ignore the pain in his upper torso. Yes, he was in a neck brace...so more than likely he had a neck or brain injury. _Hope it's not the latter. _He swallowed carefully, and jumped when a stranger suddenly entered the room.

"I thought you might be awake," the middle-aged man said as he made his way over. He was short and stocky, balding, but his watery blue eyes were kind and focused. "Have you been up long?"

"No..." Jimmy practically whispered, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Not very."

"Okay," the man said. "I'm Dr. Willows. It's good to see you awake. What's your name?"

"Jimmy," he replied. "Jimmy Neutron." Dr. Willows stared down at the chart in his hand and nodded.

"Age?"

"Eleven."

"Where do you live?"

"Retroville, Texas."

"Good, good. You don't seem to be having any memory issues." He looked up from his chart over the rim of his glasses. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes," Jimmy said slowly. "I was in a car accident." He paused a moment and wheezed, "Where's my dad? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Dr. Willows assured him. Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief. "Right now we want to focus on you, though. You...went through the windshield of the car upon impact. The resulting diagnosis was 6 fractured ribs, a punctured lung, severe head wounds including a concussion, whiplash, and a fractured collarbone." Dr. Willows let out a small puff of breath and stared at him. "You're seriously injured, Jimmy. You've been in a medically induced coma for a couple of days, because -"

"You were concerned about brain injury," Jimmy finished. Dr. Willows raised an eyebrow, amused. "Sorry," Jimmy began but the doctor only chuckled.

"Your reputation precedes you, Jimmy. Luckily, we've run some tests and you have suffered no serious brain injury...nothing that will affect you, anyway." His face got serious again and he continued, "Right now you're on a medical ventilator, Jimmy. The machine is helping you breathe because you cannot adequately do so on your own. As your lung heals, the surrounding tissues will inflame and make it difficult to breathe...a feeling akin to asthma, I suppose. You're also at risk for infection there, so we have to keep you here for awhile to monitor that and make sure everything is healing properly. And on top of everything else, those ribs are going to hurt every time you take a breath. I'd recommend lying on your side to ease the pain, but your motion is going to be extremely limited because of the whiplash in your neck. We have you on painkillers right now, and those should help, but I need you to do one thing for me, okay?" Jimmy nodded slowly and the doctor went on. "You _must_ take a deep breath, at least once every hour. Otherwise, those short, quick breaths," the doctor demonstrated, "are going to put you at risk for pneumonia, and we don't want that."

"I understand," Jimmy croaked. He stared at the doctor for a moment, processing all of this new information, and slowly ventured, "But my dad's okay, right?"

"Yes," Dr. Willows said with an understanding smile. "He suffered a tibia fracture, and a concussion, along with some cuts and bruises. He'll be fine, don't you worry about it." Jimmy was about to ask where he was, when a frazzled woman suddenly burst into the room, panting for breath.

He quickly realized the woman was his mother.

"Oh, _Jimmy!_" she shrieked and rushed to his side. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked exhausted. Dark circles rimmed her eyes and she wasn't wearing any makeup. "Oh, thank God, thank God. I came as soon as I heard they were waking you up and -" She cut herself off. "Oh, my poor baby," she cooed and she planted a thousand kisses all over his face. "Where do you hurt, baby? What can I do?" She turned to the doctor then and asked, "What can I do for him? How can I help?"

"Mrs. Neutron," Dr. Willows began, and by the way he said it, Jimmy could tell they had already spoken to each other, probably more than once. "At this point, Jimmy will be under constant medical supervision, per our discussion on the phone. He seems to be functioning fine, and mostly everything looks good...right now we're just focusing on his healing. The best you can do is keep him company and keep that brilliant mind occupied." He winked and Jimmy gave a weak smile. "I'll leave you two. It's been a wild couple of days." He departed, then, and Jimmy slid his eyes back to his unkempt and obviously worried mother.

"Oh Jimmy," she started, and then burst into tears. He watched her cry for a moment, feeling strangely detached, but then he reached out and placed his hand over her own.

"I'm okay, mom," he whispered and she looked at him through tear-filled eyes.

"I was so scared," she responded in a similar tone and she squeezed his hand three times. "I got the call and...and when I heard you went through the windshield..." She closed her eyes and swallowed, sniffing hard. "I was terrified. I thought I had lost you both."

"Have you seen dad?" he asked, studying her tired features. She nodded slowly, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

"Yes, he's fine, baby," she said with a tiny laugh. "And he feels horribly guilty. They won't let him see you, though, till he's undergone a complete psychoanalysis...they're trying to make sure his constant talk about ducks is normal." He smiled at that and she did, too, both of them trying to ease the misplaced awkwardness of this reuniting. Her face changed suddenly, back into its solemn expression as she whispered, "Cindy saw the whole thing happen. She was there with you, Jimmy." He blinked in confusion for a moment, trying to remember...Cindy? _After_ the accident? "Do you remember?" He racked his brain and felt warm hands holding his as he lay on the hot street...a voice...comforting him...

That had been _Cindy?_

"I do," he said quietly and swallowed. "Mom, is she...is she okay?"

"Yes honey, she's fine," she said with earnest and he wasn't sure why he had asked that question. "She came with you to the hospital. When I found her, she was...she was crying. Hysterically. Covered in blood, but it wasn't hers." Jimmy's face blanched, but she didn't seem to notice. "She was so scared, Jimmy. I tried to talk to her, but she ran out of the place like she was running for her life. I haven't seen her since." Mrs. Neutron sighed and seemed to snap out of her trance and looked at her son. "Everyone's been so worried, sweetie. Carl and Sheen have been asking everyday if you're okay. Libby. Sam. Ms. Fowl." She smiled at him then with a strange sort of relief and added, "At least now I'll have some good news to tell them. There was a point there where...where..." She started tearing up again and Jimmy did his best to comfort her in his limited state.

"But I'm here, mom. And I'm fine." To prove his point, he decided to take Dr. Willows' advice and take a deep breath. He pulled air into his lungs, slowly, and it hurt more than anything he had ever experienced before in his life. Tears sprang into his eyes involuntarily and he struggled to breathe for a moment. His mother stared at him with earnest, frightened eyes, but before she could ask anything, a nurse entered the room and proceeded to administer care and painkillers. It was at that moment Jimmy decided to hide his pain the best he could from his mother, who had already suffered so much at his expense. It seemed only fair.

"What? No. You must have the wrong number. No problem." Cindy hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment, before turning slowly and making her way back to the couch, where the TV blared with some God-awful soap opera. She leaned heavily on the worn arm of the couch and stared, mindlessly picking up the controls and continuing to flip through the channels like she'd been a minute before, before the call interrupted. This particular distraction - or least, what was supposed to be - was doing nothing to get her mind off of the past few days' events. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard the sound of the cars colliding. Every time she looked across the street, she couldn't help but notice the how empty the lab looked, even from the outside. And any time she was alone, she could still hear her own almost-fulfilled prophecy...

_"Drop dead, Neutron!_"

With a growl, she leaned over and shut off the television. Nothing would help. She was desperate to find out what had happened, but terrified at the prospect of finding out something she didn't really want to know. She had seen what had happened. She had watched him struggle to breathe, blood pour freely from his head and -

_No. _

How often her own thoughts haunted her. She tended to over think everything, and it made every situation all the more painful. Tears filled her eyes at the ever-present thought of him and she rested her head on the back of her seat, eyes closed. What was she doing here, exactly? What if she never saw him again? Was she going to let her fears keep her from actually knowing what had happened to him? Beyond her knowledge of him being in a medically induced coma, she had no clue as to what other injuries he had suffered. _You coward._ What had happened to her? Was the prospect of losing him that overpowering? Not knowing wouldn't change anything. Then again, knowing wouldn't either. At the very least, she should call. See what was going on. See if he was okay.

The sudden sound of the telephone ringing snapped her out of her train of thought, and she made her way back over, wiping away tears she didn't know she had shed. She placed a heavy hand on the receiver, sighed once, and answered with a weary, "Hello?" If this was the same people again, she would -

"Cindy? It's me, Jimmy's mom. I have some news for you..."


	3. Violets

**A/N: Back again! Sorry this took so long for an update…thank you to all who reviewed, especially ****kaibasgirlx for the advice about the page breaks…sorry about that! I thought I had put it in there, I'm not sure why it didn't come through. :/ **

**Here's the next installment, and I'm sorry it's not very long. But don't worry, the story **_**is**_** going somewhere.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron, or any of the show's characters.**

Jimmy lay in bed, watching the rain beat the windows in violent torrents. Out of nowhere, a violent storm had blown in, contributing some much needed moisture (and not-needed humidity) to the scorched Retroville._ Three days_. Three days he had been here, stuck here, waiting for...what exactly? To heal? To go home? He wasn't sure, but in that time he had been able to see his father, who remained the happy-go-lucky goof that he always was, though upon seeing his son he had sobered some. Jimmy held no hard feelings. He had said goodbye to his parents only minutes before, with his mother's promise of coming back to visit him as soon as his father was taken care of at home. Jimmy shifted his position slightly and sighed. His loyal mechanical dog Goddard had been sneaked in yesterday for a visit as well, but it was only a matter of time until they were discovered by one of the nurses. She claimed he had to go because he could "mess with the equipment." What a bunch of baloney. He was a highly sophisticated cyborg companion, not a misbehaving pet. It was at that moment Jimmy suddenly missed his lab more than anything.

He inhaled slowly, pulling air into his injured lungs and stared hard at the ceiling. He knew that Cindy knew he was awake. And if she knew, then there was a pretty good chance the others did, too. What he couldn't figure out was why no one had come to see him. Not one. What was that about? Granted, it wasn't the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but it would certainly help pass the time...for him, at least. He raised his hands and eyed them, taking in the wondrous process of healing. A lump had suddenly formed in his throat, and he wasn't sure why. He smoothed out the blankets, blinked several times, sighed again. Who was he kidding? He knew why.

He was here alone, a survivor of an awful car accident, and not one of his friends had the decency to come visit him.

* * *

Cindy sat, face propped in her hands, shouting out of her window. "No Sheen! For the last time, I will not help you sort your Ultra Lord collection! Geez!"

"Oh, please Cindy? I need a female perspective when it comes to the placing of Ultra Lord with his Ultra Lady and Libby won't help me!"

"Could that be because it's _stupid?!_" Cindy shouted and Sheen's face twisted in horror.

"You...you philistine!" He shrieked in typical Sheen style. "Fine, just forget it! I'm going to ask Carl!" And with that, he turned around and stormed off in a huff. Cindy watched him go, her blood boiling for reasons that had nothing to do with the ridiculous fictitious superhero and his diehard fan. Three days ago she'd gotten a call from Jimmy's _mom_ of all people, and she had told her the news she had so desperately wanted to know. Yet for some reason, she had been able to say nothing more than "Oh" at the gained Intel and hang up the phone before she burst into tears. He was _alive._ And he was not only alive, but alive and healing and on his way to a full recovery. So what the heck was wrong with her?

_You're a coward. _

The word burned in her mind as she stared out the window, watching the drizzle from the earlier violent storm. She sighed and closed her eyes, but when she did, his face appeared there, covered in blood, his eyes wide and terror-stricken. _Is that the only way I'll be able to see him now? _She shuddered and opened her eyes again, letting them drift down towards her soaked driveway. The fierce rainstorm had completely obliterated the beautiful poppies that her mother had taken the time to plant along each side of the driveway, and their petals lay flattened and broken on the cold cement. She could feel the tears threatening again, and she hated it. She hated this entire situation, she hated this weird fear that had suddenly come upon her, and she hated the fact that Carl, Sheen, and Libby had all found excuses to not go see Jimmy in the hospital.

Carl was "allergic to hospital smells" (whatever _that_ meant), Sheen was getting ready for a vacation to Durango, and Libby was volunteering at a music camp for the next week. She didn't doubt her friends' sincerity, but she knew deep down that they were all too afraid to go see him. On her escape from the hospital that dreadful day, she had run into them outside of the Candy Bar on her way home. She was covered in blood, sobbing hysterically, and unleashed her terror and fury upon them, screaming at them what had just transpired when they asked what had happened to her. Perhaps she had made it sound worse, or far too accurate, but since that day every single one of them had refused to bring it up around her. When she had asked each of them separately if they maybe wanted to go with her to visit Jimmy, they had provided their excuses, eyes wide, and then changed the subject. Had she scared them off? It was the only theory she could come up with, but it saddened her all the same to know that her own reasons for not seeing him were the exact same. She was terrified.

But what was Jimmy thinking right now? His mother must have let him know that she had let her know. Cindy had no idea if the others had gotten the same phone call, but she didn't really care. Her own guilt was eating her up, just as it had been since the day of the accident, and she dealt with it with her usual reaction: she got angry. She was angry at her friends, she was angry at the situation, but most of all she was angry at herself. No one knew what she was feeling, and her parents' halfhearted attempts to advise her were nothing less than sickening. They didn't care about him like she did. None of them did.

She stood with determination and went to her computer. It was time to get past her fears, past her doubts, and most importantly, past her anger. It was time to take the first step in reaching out to the boy she had spent years alienating and let him know that she cared.

* * *

Judy Neutron played with the edges of the sheet and watched her son in concern as he talked to her. His eyes looked tired, almost...dimmer. She tried not to worry too much...honestly, he had been through so much, why would he _not_ look so tired? She wanted to push the worried thoughts aside, but in vain. This was her _only_ child, for crying out loud. She had every right as a mother to be concerned. And it _had_ only been five days since he had woken up.

"Jimmy, are you alright?" She suddenly found herself asking and he glanced up at her with the same pair of eyes that had taken her breath away from the moment she first saw them. He studied her for a moment, his face conveying a whole spectrum of emotions at once, but he simply responded with,

"Yeah, mom. I'm okay."

"Are you upset that no one's come to see you?" she whispered and he would have laughed were he in less pain today. _How does she always do that?_ He swallowed thickly and stared out the window again.

"You said Cindy was upset," he ventured slowly. "But she doesn't seem to care. Unless..." He paused and looked at her. "Unless she's contacted you." Judy slowly shook her head, watching the sadness fill his eyes, even as he struggled to hide it. "I mean, its okay," he said softly. "We kind of had an...argument right before the..."

"Yeah," she responded and there was silence for a moment. Her face then brightened with a smile, and in an attempt to lighten the mood, followed up with, "Well! I'm going to go see if I can get you a treat. Maybe a soda or something. Would you like that?" He nodded and tried to smile at her. "Okay, I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere." She winked and strode off into the hall and Jimmy watched her go. Once she left he made an attempt to sit up, gasping as he did so, but forced himself into a seated position with a grimace. It felt awful and wonderful at the same time. Being stuck in the same position for nearly a week had left him quite uncomfortable.

He had just managed to have the pain stop radiating through his chest and upper back when a portly nurse in purple scrubs entered the room. Her name was Veronica and she had been linked with being "the nice one" in his own mind. He was about to say hi when he noticed she was holding something. "Look what's come for you!" she squealed in joy and placed the vase in his outstretched arms. He eyed the bouquet of the lovely violets in wonder, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was whispering, "Flowers are for _girls!" _He brought the blooms up to his face and inhaled gently, taking in their pleasant scent, and finally noticed the small card that was nestled gently in the petals. He reached for it with suddenly-shaking fingers and opened it, the paper soft against his skin. He recognized the handwriting immediately and his breath hitched in his throat.

_Jimmy - _

_I'm sorry. For everything. I know this doesn't make up for anything, but I wanted to let you know that I didn't forget you._

_I'm coming to see you soon._

_Cindy_

And for the first time in nearly a week, Jimmy smiled.

**So I know I kind of jumped ahead there (from 3 days to five) but I had wanted just a bit more time to pass. I had initially wanted to make it longer, but it didn't really seem to add up…Cindy is a tough girl who would get over her fears fairly quickly, am I right?! And I know the friends' reactions may seem a bit OOC, but kids react strangely to stuff like this…I have a younger sister that age, and she would totally freak if something like this happened to one of her friends. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Review, if thou desires!**


	4. Blossoms Filled the Room

**A/N: Woohoo! Another update, and within a somewhat timely manner. I hope this chapter is somewhat satisfying…I didn't want to drag it out. :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron, but I do own Veronica. **

It all struck her the moment she set foot through the hospital doors. Deep down inside, something just sparked and she knew, she just _knew,_ that something had shifted...that something had changed. A part of her felt like this should've happened sooner, maybe the day of the accident or sometime soon after that, but the other part knew that this was the reconciliation period - a time to make amends. Cindy Vortex wasn't used to making amends. She also wasn't used to this sudden change inside of her, this odd feeling of actually _wanting_ to make things better, permanently. If the accident had taught her one thing, it was this: there should be no assumption of a tomorrow. Ever since her and Jimmy had first met and their glorious rivalry had begun, she had always felt like they would reach a point where they would grow up, stop fighting, and move on. Maybe even get along. Maybe even become friends. But as she had stood there and watched his body shoot through the front of the car like a bullet from a gun, and when she had seen him lying there in the street, unmoving, everything had come crashing down: Life was fragile, breakable, and what she thought she knew for certain changed the moment those cars collided.

Her stomach twisted as she walked closer to where she knew he was. It was almost like a presence that only she could feel. Even in her own head she knew how ridiculous that sounded, but the conflicting emotions within her were battling it out and trying to convince her to turn around and make a run for it. _Not again._ Luckily, her willpower and stubborn attitude had remained victorious for years, and this time it would be no different.

As she neared the door she had been directed to, her pace slowed even as her heart quickened. "Get a grip!" she muttered to herself, but the half-hearted command only served to make butterflies explode inside of her. She closed her eyes once, and he appeared again, bleeding, hurt, terrified. And the image that had scared her into inactivity suddenly changed in motivation and Cindy found herself calmer than since this entire ordeal had started. Her eyes opened. She looked ahead. And with an air of determination, she stepped forward and walked into his room.

They saw her immediately. Jimmy's mother's face burst into a thrilled smile, while his remained unchanged and unreadable. She swallowed once and laced her fingers together behind her back. "Hi sweetie!" Judy called out and waved. She stood then and made her way over, surprising the young girl with a big, motherly hug. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered in her ear and Cindy could do nothing more than pat her on the back and blink a couple of times. Judy finally released her and gazed at her with large, hopeful eyes. "Well," she began, and turned to Jimmy. "I'm going to go...um...make a phone call to your father. I'll be back soon." She gave Cindy a reassuring smile as she turned and left, and patted her shoulder before departing. Cindy slowly turned back to Jimmy and took in his appearance. His bruised face stared back at her, his eyes wide and still unchanging. His neck remained wrapped in a neck brace, and it took only a moment for her to realize that his signature swirl hairstyle was gone. They must have shaved it off to treat that...large gash on his forehead. She hadn't realized she was walking forward until her hips bumped into the side of his bed and she could inspect the forming scar on his forehead with clarity. He looked...different. She swallowed again and their eyes locked. She had to say something.

"Hi," she said wisely.

"Hi," he responded. His voice sounded quiet, hollow. She didn't like it.

"I...um..." She inhaled sharply and placed her hands hesitantly on the metal guard. Her eyes watered and she glanced upwards, trying to blink them away. _Not now!_ "Uh, how are you feeling, Jimmy?"

"Much better," she heard him say. Then nothing. _Come on Jimmy, give me something here. _One glance down at those shining blue eyes and she knew he wasn't going to make this easy for her.

"You...you like it here?" She almost punched herself in the face and groaned slightly, realizing how stupid that sounded.

"Oh yeah, the service is impeccable," he said, and she couldn't tell if he was kidding or not. She sighed.

"L-listen, Jimmy," she began softly and he looked at her. She stared back at him and refused to turn away again. "I'm sorry," she whispered and it sounded much weaker than she would have preferred.

"Cindy -" he began but she held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to see you. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was avoiding you. I'm sorry about what I said right before you got into that car, and...and basically everything I've ever said to you." She glanced down, her eyes watering again. She wanted to go on, but the words halted on her tongue. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, tiny teardrops slowly falling down her downcast face. "I was so scared," she whimpered. Her shoulders shook as the sobs began yet again, but she felt no humiliation for crying in front of him, for exposing herself like this. There was nothing she could do to stop it, anyway.

Warmth suddenly enveloped one of her hands and she opened her eyes to find him holding it, gently massaging the back of her hand with his thumb. His eyes were wet, but his face held a smile - not mocking, not malicious, but comforting, kind. "Cindy," he whispered and gripped her hand tight. "You don't have to apologize. You don't. You're here, and...oh Cindy, please don't cry," he implored as she broke down again. "It's okay. I'm here, and I'm alive, and everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

"J-Jimmy," she sputtered and placed her other hand on top of his. "You don't understand. Oh Jimmy, I watched the whole thing happen and when I saw you lying there in the street, I thought..." She inhaled sharply and hung her head. "I thought I had lost you. And not only that, I thought I was never going to get a second chance, that I'd never be able to tell you how I actually felt..."

"But you _did,_" he said, his heart heavy. He hated to see her cry, especially over him. "And you have no idea," he continued, voice cracking, "how much it means to me that you're here." She glanced up at him and his smile seemed to light up the room. "And I love the flowers, by the way," he said and she found herself laughing for some reason.

"I was going to send a teddy bear too, but I didn't have enough money," she said with a roll of her eyes. He laughed with her and sucked in air through his teeth, forgetting how painful that was. Her face changed in a second, smile fading and eyes widening with concern. "Jimmy...?" she began, but he shook his head.

"It's okay," he said, grinning at her even as sharp pains shot through his chest. "I'm still healing, you know." She nodded slowly and suddenly noticed their hands were still entwined. She looked at it for a second, then back at him.

"I miss your hair," she stated and he broke into a smile again, reaching up and rubbing his bare scalp.

"Yeah, I kind of do too," he said, and she smiled back. He then reached slowly for her, wiping the tears from her face, surprising the both of them in the process. "But no more tears, okay?"

"Okay," she murmured, still thrilled by his touch. She had never expected _this_ in a million years. But why not? Jimmy had a kind heart, a good heart, and now she wasn't so sure why she had been so afraid to come here in the first place.

"So," he said, patting the top of his head. "Guess you can't call me Fudge Head anymore, huh?"

* * *

"Uh...five, eight, nine."

"Nope. One, two, three, I win."

"What?" Cindy stared at him incredulously, brow furrowed in confusion. "How...?"

"Let's go again," Jimmy said and pointed at her.

"Okay, uh, three, seven, nine."

"Eight, five, two, I win." Cindy threw up her hands in defeat.

"I don't get it! How do you win this game?"

"Well, just think about the rules. You can't repeat the same three numbers as the other person. Yet the winning numbers always have a pattern." He smiled at her. "You're a smart cookie. Just think about it." Cindy closed her eyes and the series of numbers flashed through her mind again. Her eyes popped back open.

"Wait. The number patterns? Like on a phone?" He nodded slowly and she smacked herself in the forehead. "Oh geez. That's so obvious, I think I could cry."

"It's okay, you tried your best," he said and she scowled at him. Their faces shortly broke out into smiles and Cindy cleared her throat.

"Well..." she said, turning towards the window."Visiting hours are almost over. I should...probably get going."

"Yeah," he sighed and she eyed him for a moment.

"Hey, you know what? Your mom never came back," she said with a giggle. He laughed softly with her for a moment, then stared at her.

"Never came back?" he said slowly and she frowned.

"Yeah...she said she was going to call your dad, but she didn't come back. I guess she was letting us...talk..." He stared at her in confusion.

"She was...here?"

"Jimmy -" Cindy began, confused, but at just that moment a nurse walked in.

"How's my favorite patient doing today?" she boomed and Jimmy smiled at her.

"Really great, thanks. Veronica, this is my friend, Cindy. She's the one who sent the flowers."

"Well those were lovely, sweetie! That was so nice of you!" Veronica nearly shouted and Cindy smiled despite the woman's volume. She shook her hand heartily and went on to explain how she was going to check his vital signs now, his pulse, etc.

"I'll let you get to that, then," Cindy said and stood. She patted Jimmy's hand awkwardly and said, "I'll see you later, Neutron." When he looked at her, she winked, and he broke into a smile yet again and squeezed her hand.

"Thanks," he whispered and she nodded before departing. It was not until she had left the hospital and was on her way home that she remembered his strange reaction to his mother. _Must just be from his injuries. He's just disoriented is all. It hasn't even been a full week. _She took a deep breath of the evening air and felt more at peace than she had in quite some time.

He was okay.

And that was all that mattered.

**Yeah, the numbers game is real…but I wasn't as smart as Cindy trying to figure out how it's won the first time I played. Please review! **


	5. The Curtains Decayed

**A/N: Hey! My apologies for my extended absence. Life suddenly got crazy and was keeping me from my writing! Suck! :P Anyways, here is the next chapter. Let me just say that I love all the reviews from you guys! Makes it totally worth it to keep writing. Upward and onward!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron, or any characters from the show. **

Jimmy stared hard at the board in front of him, as his hand floated over it in cautious rhythms. His fingers brushed and landed on a piece of plastic, and it was then that his gaze met a pair of glittering green eyes. "You sure about that one?" the blonde girl asked softly, and her mouth curved into a mischievous smile. He grinned back at her and said smugly,

"Never been _surer_." And with that, he shoved it forward. It was not until his fingers released his little rook that he noticed her bishop lying in wait across the board. "Wait -" he started, but she simply shoved his hand away and knocked his piece off the board with a flick of her wrist.

"...and there goes your last defense. Your king is mine, Neutron," she gloated and he bit his lip.

"I think you may be right. No wonder you always choose to be the black pieces...they resemble your heart." She rolled her eyes at this and he laughed. For nearly two weeks now, she had been coming to visit him almost daily to keep him company. To date, she was still the only one who had come to see him, but his distress over his friends' absence had decreased some after her explanation of what had occurred right after the accident. He had studied the effects of traumatic events occurring early in life a couple of years back while bored one fine summer afternoon, and he supposed that this constituted as something somewhat traumatizing for his hypersensitive comrades. In any case, having _her_ here was still kind of incredible to him, and it was not merely her presence that struck a cord...it was the fact that they got along, and actually acted as _friends_. He had never thought such a thing possible. Then again, perhaps this accident had actually done more good than anything else.

"So," Cindy began, swiping another one of his pieces off the board, "when do you...get to go home?"

"Not sure yet," Jimmy responded with a sigh. He glanced over at her, watching her stare hard at the chess board. "My lungs are still healing, as are my ribs. Though I'm glad that the stupid neck brace is coming off soon...this thing is awful." She nodded slowly. He stared at her a moment, and a horrible feeling of guilt started creeping in again. What he didn't tell her was the horrible pain that had suddenly begun shortly after her first visit. Every now and then, for no reason at all, sharp blasts of pain would shoot from the back of his head almost down to the bottom of his spine. He couldn't explain it, but he didn't want her or his mother to worry about something that could turn out to simply be...healing...pain...

"Well, I hope it's soon," she said, finally looking up at him. "Goddard misses you." He raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed, rolling her eyes again. "What? It's true!"

"I'm sure," he said with a roll of his own eyes, and it was then the pain suddenly shot through his skull again. He gasped slightly, still surprised by its intensity, and Cindy's eyes widened.

"Jimmy...?" she ventured, but in the next breath the pain was gone and he could make eye contact with her and supply her with a reassuring smile.

"I miss my lab," he sighed and glanced out the window. Cindy stared at him, still on the alert, watching his expressions, his body language, as he launched off on another rant about the projects he hadn't completed. He kept thinking she didn't notice, but it really seemed like something wasn't right. When he thought she wasn't looking, he would indicate something was _wrong,_ by wincing in pain or grasping the blanket so hard his knuckles turned white. Yet every single time she asked, or even tried to bring it up, he'd wave her off and change the subject. So it left her confused: was something wrong and he didn't want to worry her? Was she seeing things, or just misreading him? Something deep inside was urging her to take action, but he kept reassuring her that nothing was wrong. So who should she listen to?

"Hello, guys!" a feminine voice chirped and Cindy gave a wave and smile to Mrs. Neutron as she entered the room. She was looking considerably more relaxed and happy as Jimmy's wounds healed, and it was good to see her returning to her old self again. She crept over, hands behind her back and squealed, "I've got you both a surprise!" Without further suspense, she whipped her hands out from behind her back and produced two small bowls of ice cream, one in each hand. "It's getting hot out there again," she said in a conspiratorial whisper and handed one to each of them.

"Thanks mom," Jimmy murmured and eyed his bowl while Cindy immediately dug in.

"Ah, thank you Mrs. Neutron," she said as she licked the creamy goodness off her spoon. The three remained in their positions in silence for the next several moments, thinking their own thoughts.

"Well," Judy finally said, clapping her hands together. "I'm just going to...go...see what else I can find to do in this great, big hospital!" She turned and left the room, and it took only a moment for Cindy to pause, murmur a quick, "I'll be right back" and run after Jimmy's mother in the hospital hallways.

"Mrs. Neutron?" Cindy called out and she turned, surprised. She halted her quick pace and slowed as she approached, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "Um, can I...can I ask you something?"

"Of course dear, feel free to ask me anything," Judy said with a smile. Cindy cleared her throat, scratched the back of her head, and proceeded.

"Well, uh...I was just wondering if you noticed that Jimmy wasn't, uh...doing so well. No, that's not what I mean, it's like, sometimes he seems like he's in pain? But I can't really tell because he says nothing is wrong, so I was just curious if you had seen anything, but if not, then I'm just crazy you know, no big deal." She let out a huge _whoosh_ of breath and despite her serious thoughts, Judy was laughing - not mocking, not judgmental, but sweet and understanding. Amused. Just like Jimmy's laugh.

"Okay, okay, slow down there for a minute," she said, bending down to Cindy's level. "Now," she said, her large eyes searching Cindy's face, "what's this about Jimmy being hurt?"

"I...I don't know," Cindy sighed and crossed her arms. "Sometimes it just seems like something's wrong, but he tells me nothing is. I just wondered if...if you had seen anything. Or if the doctors had told you anything."

"No," Judy said slowly, seemingly searching her brain for the right answer. "No one's told me anything, beyond what I already know. And Jimmy has seemed that he's having some issues from time to time, but I was told that was normal." The word washed over Cindy like salve for a burn and she instantly relaxed. _Normal._ "He's still healing. It's not going to be a quick process, you know?"

"Yeah," Cindy replied with an excited nod. "Yeah, that's it. He was thrown through a windshield. Of _course_ he's still in pain from time to time." Judy's face fell a little bit after Cindy said that and she instantly regretted it. But in the next moment her face brightened again and she nodded.

"Of course. But if you do notice something, or Jimmy tells you something, let me know, okay? Or a doctor. We can't be too careful." Cindy nodded in response and said,

"Sure. Absolutely."

* * *

Cindy sat on her bed several days later, legs crossed, pen scribbling furiously across the paper she laid in her lap. Since the day of the accident, she had completely forgotten about that darned essay she was supposed to be obsessing over. _Funny how our priorities change._ Regardless, now that Jimmy was well on his way to a complete recovery, she felt that she could truly focus on something else besides that dreadful day and her own oppressive guilt. Unfortunately, she still hadn't chosen a specific topic and was still penning down notes and ideas, but her well of inspiration was running dry. Everything she came up with was stupid, unoriginal, or outright cliché. Cindy Vortex was not one to regurgitate ideas, even if they had originally been her own. She paused for a moment and tapped her pencil's eraser gently against her lips. The deadline was in less than two weeks. Maybe this wasn't worth the time. Then again, the only reason she had wanted to enter in the first place was because the contest was funded by the Children's Education Program, and the Grand Prize was a hefty monetary sum...now she couldn't really remember how much. _Geez girl, you need to get your thoughts straight._

She stopped for a moment and stared at the words on the page, neatly written, articulate, and very much her own. She had considered Jimmy as a topic more often than she liked to admit, but could never really pin down an idea that would work for the essay's prompt. Regardless, her thoughts kept drifting back to him...his smile, his laugh, just...him. _Dang it Jimmy, in one way or another, you're always making it hard to concentrate. _

Her door burst open dramatically, sending her heart into a panicked pulse and turned angrily at her mother who was standing in the doorway. "Mom! Haven't you heard of knocking?!" She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, a futile attempt at taking back her angry outburst. Her dark-haired mother stood staring at her with bland, bored eyes and she oh so slowly placed a hand on her hip.

"I was just coming to tell you someone was on the phone for you," she droned in her typical flat, slightly snobbish tone. Cindy placed her feet gently on the floor, approaching her mother with caution.

"Sorry, I just...wasn't expecting you so suddenly," she said with a nervous smile, and Sasha Vortex rolled her eyes.

"Make it quick, Cynthia," she responded, holding out the phone like it was a dead bird. Cindy took it with a quick hand, and promptly turned from her mother, bringing it up to her ear. She barely got started saying hello, when the voice on the other hand started speaking in a rushed, panicked tone. It came as a greater surprise to Cindy when compared to her mother's cool tones from only seconds before, but it didn't take long to make out the words.

"Cindy, are you there? I've got...I've got something -"

"Mrs. Neutron?" Cindy asked, eyebrow raised. "Is that you?"

"Cindy, oh my dear, I've been trying to reach you..." Judy gasped on the other end of the phone, and Cindy's stomach fell. _Oh no._

"What happened?" she choked out in a frightened whisper, and Judy sobbed loudly on the other end of the telephone.

"Oh Cindy...oh God...it's Jimmy, Cindy. He's had a seizure."

**I know. You hate me. But if you review, I'll update sooner. :D**


	6. A New Sense of Sight

**A/N: Hey! I got this out just as soon as I could. And I just wanted to say to _TheWonderfulShoe:_ Exactly! This story focuses more on characterization, exploring how these events are affecting everybody, and not the extent of Jimmy's injuries. And speaking of those, I just want to apologize once again for medical inaccuracies...I do my best to make it sound realistic, even though I have no idea what I'm talking about. But let's just have fun with this, okay? Okay! Onto Chapter 6!**

**Thank you everyone for your reviews...they mean the world to me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron. **

_Jimmy sat bolt upright in bed, pain shooting down his spine in violent waves. A gasp of pain went unheard, sticking in his throat like sticky tar. He waited for it to pass, one minute, two. Three. Four. His body shuddered from the intensity of it, the sheer magnitude of its power. It seemed to slowly be taking control of every single part of him, every movement, every thought. He reached out a shaking arm - towards what he didn't know - and blindly grasped something soft and warm. He did the same with his other arm, pulling, climbing, reaching, until he found himself toppling over into the abyss, cold and dark and terrifying. His screams went unnoticed and it was at that moment he lost control of his body - convulsing, shaking, uncontrollable terror into a world that made no sense, that mathematics and science could not explain until it suddenly got very dark and then_

_there_

_was_

_nothing. _

Cindy gasped and sat up, body trembling, breaking out in a cold sweat. Tears poured unbidden down her face as she slowly turned and glanced at the bedside clock: _2:26. _She placed a hand on her pounding heart and stared straight ahead, small sobs escaping from her throat. This was the third night in a row she had had a nightmare about Jimmy in the hospital, alone, suffering...without her. A sudden chill went through her and she tucked her knees into her chest, balling her hands into fists, shoving them into her eyes in a desperate attempt to keep the ever-present tears at bay. So. This was her fate. To watch Jimmy suffer, day by day, while she could do nothing about it. After the phone call three days prior, she had rushed to the hospital, finding a distraught Judy and Hugh Neutron in the waiting room. A seizure, she had been told, but it was far more than that. Jimmy had been suffering from a massive brain injury that had not reared its ugly head until just recently. Upon finding out this information, anger had once again overcome her senses and she demanded to speak to the doctor in charge of Jimmy.

It was then she had been introduced to Dr. Willows.

In her foggy memory, the man looked shaken, almost...lost. Fighting tears even then and her growing terror, she had demanded to know what happened, why they didn't know about this sooner. Why they had let it progress to this point. To her dying day, she would never forget the way he looked at her, straight in the eyes and said, "I don't know." Never before had they encountered this, he said. A brain injury that didn't show itself for nearly two weeks? Unheard of. He couldn't understand why the seizure had only happened now, as opposed to right after the accident. "Especially," he had gone on to say, "without the onset of some warning signs." Those words had made her blood run cold. Without another word, she had turned, stunned, walking out of the hospital and out to the street, where she sat on the curb and stared at the sky. Had she voiced her concerns to a doctor, then maybe...maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Since then she had learned that Jimmy was in another medically-induced coma to prevent another seizure and possible brain damage. Beyond that, both she and the medical staff knew nothing. They didn't know what was wrong with him.

They couldn't help him.

Cindy slowly removed her fists from her face. Why hadn't she pushed? Why hadn't she _made_ him tell her something was wrong? Surely he had felt something. Whatever it was she had felt or only thought she had seen had turned out to be true. Something _had_ been wrong and she was foolish enough to think that everything would be okay. Absolutely _nothing_ had been okay since the day this had started and she felt like she was going to go mad. What had he done to deserve this? Why was this happening to him?

"Why didn't you tell me what was wrong, Jimmy?" she whispered into the night. Even before, when she didn't know his fate, she had not been truly afraid she would lose him. Yet now, she had never been more uncertain if Jimmy would live or die. No one knew. No one.

It was then she tried to imagine a world without him. A morbid thought perhaps, but one she had to get out of her system. No more out-of-this-world show and tells. No more inventions that could change the world. No more explosions across the street. No more adventures. No more intellectual debates, no more competition. Never again would she see those sapphire blue eyes light up when he had a "brain blast" or that chocolate kiss-shaped hairdo. Never again would she hear his laugh, see his smile. No more watching him without his knowledge as he tried to figure out a problem as his eyelashes brushed his cheeks with every blink. No more..._him._ The thought was almost unfathomable, and she quickly shoved the thoughts from her mind. _I'm not going to lose you. _She couldn't.

She just couldn't.

* * *

Dr. Willows sat in his office, brow furrowed in concentration, face in his hands. Exhaustion was finally settling in, the result of too much caffeine and sleepless nights, trying desperately to figure out what was wrong with his youngest patient. It was only 9:00 in the morning, but he was ready to begin another day of attempted diagnosis. Today was the day Jimmy Neutron would be awoken from his current coma, brain scans would be taken, and they would get to the bottom of whatever was ailing him. Never before in his life had he felt like more of a failure in his practice. Granted, he was an extremely busy man who worked long hours, day and night. But traumatic brain injury was his _specialty. _And when it came to the life of a child, he gave everything he had to treat them, cure them, give them a better quality of life if it were possible. Where had he failed with the young genius?

The door to his office suddenly opened carefully, and a young medical assistant poked her head in, wisps of dark black hair hanging limply in her face. "Doctor," she said breathlessly. "He's awake." He looked at her and nodded slightly, running his fingers through his hair. It was time to talk to him, run some tests, and _fix_ this.

With grim determination he stood, swallowed, and made his way to Jimmy's room.

* * *

"Mrs. Neutron," Cindy breathed, rushing up to her in the hospital's waiting room. "Is he...?"

"From what I've heard, yes," Judy said quietly, staring down at her hands in her lap. "But we can't see him yet. They're running some tests, trying to...figure it out." Cindy nodded with a sigh and sat down next to the woman who had quickly fallen victim to her sorrow again. But Cindy couldn't blame her. This was tearing _her_ up inside, so she could only imagine what Jimmy's own mother was feeling...

"Why didn't he say anything?" Cindy whispered, thinking out loud. Judy turned to her in surprise, eyes curious. She turned to Jimmy's mother carefully and looked her in the eyes. "Is this my fault?"

"Of course not, sweetheart!" Judy gasped, placing a gentle hand on the young girl's shoulder. "What makes you think that?"

"Because, it's like...I knew, and...and I didn't do anything about it..."

"Cindy." Cindy stared hard at her shoes, swallowing hard. "Cindy, look at me." She turned to her again, eyes brimmed with fresh tears. "Listen, I want you to think about who we're talking about for a minute." Judy searched her face, eyes determined and serious. "Jimmy has always hid things from me he thought would hurt me. Was he a show-off with his inventions? Of course he was. And he had a right to be, even if they didn't always work right." She laughed at this, and even Cindy found herself smiling. Judy's face suddenly softened and took on a far-away look. "I can remember so clearly the day I learned that Jimmy aimed to please. I had been complaining about how old our vacuum was, how it was too loud and wasn't working properly. Hugh had just spent a large portion of our savings on a "antique" display of duck decoys" - here she used finger quotes - "and finances were tough. But Jimmy being Jimmy decided he would build me a new vacuum, one that not only vacuumed, but could wash the floor and coat it with a "floor salve" that prevented it from getting dirty again. His first attempt, unfortunately, left me stuck to the kitchen floor for four hours. You can bet I wasn't too thrilled." She gave a sad smile and looked at Cindy. "What I'm trying to say is that Jimmy always wants to take charge, be the big guy, and please everybody. And if that means making us think that he's doing okay...even when he's not..." She sighed. "Then he'll do it. It's a twisted sort of kindness, but he only does it because he cares."

Cindy sat staring, the gears in her brain slowly starting to turn. She twisted her hair around her finger and thought about what Jimmy's mother had just said. And it was true. Thinking back on everything Jimmy had ever done - weren't his inventions usually for the benefit of other people? Granted, yes, he would sometimes use it for his own, but that was to be expected. And even if he was the one who screwed things up in the first place, he would always fix it. Whether they were about to be sold as alien toys, or attacked by some deadly "Twonkies," he always stepped in and saved the day. _It's a twisted sort of kindness, but he only does it because he cares._

"Do you have any idea when we'll be allowed to see him?" Cindy inquired and Mrs. Neutron shook her head.

"I think it's going to be awhile."

"Well," Cindy said, standing. "If that's the case, then there's something I need to do. But I'll be back. Soon." Judy smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Neutron."

"Of course," she said softly as she watched Cindy walk away. She felt for the girl. She really did. But she would always remember the loyalty she was showing towards her son, and how much she seemed to care for him. "Remarkable," she said to herself, and she folded her hands in her lap, continuing her wait.

Cindy walked straight home and went directly to her room. As if in a trance, she saw nothing else but her computer, which she quickly booted up. She began to type, quickly, inspiration flowing from her heart to her fingertips as her sudden muse overtook her senses. She had finally found the topic she'd been looking for.

_Kindness is so often overlooked as an everyday, unimportant occurrence. Yet we are almost always struck by it, caught unaware, and it deepens our appreciation for the goodness of human beings. But when it comes to kindness, we do not often think of something hidden, a kindness by protection of sorts. And so this story begins..._

* * *

Dr. Willows emerged from the room with a heavy heart. It had been hours, long and brutal, but through several tests and questioning, he was certain he had figured out what the problem was. Walking slowly down the hall, he began to plan how he would tell Jimmy's parents that their son needed brain surgery.


	7. The Darkness Again

**A/N: Back again! And just in time for Valentine's Day! [insert happy cheer here] Sorry this is so short...it's more of a transition chapter, I think. AND I think we are nearing the end...maybe like three chapters or so left? Anyways, thank you so so much for the reviews. They mean the world to me! But here's the next installment, and I hope you enjoy. Happy Valentine's Day, meine Freunde! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron, or any of the characters (except Veronica. Again)!**

"To prevent more seizures from happening? But...isn't that a bit extreme?" It was only days later, and once again Cindy found herself in the waiting room to Retroville Hospital. She still had not had the chance to see Jimmy again, and she was determined that today was the day. Between getting her essay submitted, her mother whisking her off on all-day (and ridiculous) shopping spree, and the limited availability of visiting hours, life in general had kept her from seeing the injured genius. She now sat with his mother yet again, discussing his upcoming surgery while he finished up some last minute check-ups.

"It would seem," Judy said with a small smile. "But apparently the damage was...worse than they had initially thought. In order to stop the seizures from happening, he'll need to be operated on. Then he should be well on his way to recovery."

"Seizures?" Cindy said quietly. She glanced over at the sad woman and her eyes widened. "Has he had more than one?" Judy made eye contact with her then, but her smile was missing its usual glow.

"I didn't want to worry you," she murmured and Cindy placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"That's okay," she said, tears making their way into her eyes again. "As long as Jimmy is...okay."

"Hey Puddin' Pop, look at what I found in the vending machine!" Hugh appeared from behind the wall, making his way over on crutches. The man was still healing, but he was the source of comic relief in this ongoing nightmare. He paused, waved a package of some sort of treat in the air, then continued over to them with an excited grin. "Looks like the company is finally branching out! Remember Fish Snack'Ums? Now they've got a Duck variety!" He proudly tossed the package at his stunned wife, which she caught. Quickly scanning the label, she glanced up at him with a bemused expression and said,

"Darling, you do know what's in these, right?"

"Gee, Sugar, I don't know," he said as she handed them back to him. "Some sort of synthetic cheese, molded into a duck shape?"

"No dear, that has duck meat in it."

With a shriek, he tossed the package into the air like he had been burned. "Blasphemy!" he screamed, and quickly turned and hightailed it back to the vending machine, nearly falling on his face more than once. Cindy watched in detached humor.

"How does he stay so upbeat? What with Jimmy and all...?"

"It's just his way of coping," Judy sighed with a shrug. "Helps keep the pressure of the seriousness off, I think." Cindy could only nod, for at that moment, Veronica came strolling down the hallway and nodded at the two of them.

"He's ready if you want to see him," she said quietly, and Cindy noticed her eyes shone with tears right before she turned and disappeared behind an unmarked door. She swallowed thickly and looked at Mrs. Neutron, a question in her eyes.

"Go ahead, sweetie," she approved. "It's been awhile since you've seen him." Cindy waited no longer and stood, quickly making her way to his room. Right before entering, she turned one last time and looked at Judy, who seemed suddenly deep in thought and distracted. With a small sigh, she turned and entered Jimmy's new room.

He was staring right at her as she walked in, like he'd been expecting her. She gave him a wide smile, but he didn't react...he just...stared. She approached him with confidence and sat down on his bed, his eyes following her the entire time. "Hey," she said softly and he gave her a weak smile.

"Hey," he croaked and she studied his face carefully. He looked tired, beaten down. He reached out suddenly and she jumped. "Give me your hand," he whispered and she complied. He gripped her hand tightly and closed his eyes, a small sigh escaping through his lips.

"You...you need an operation," she said, still somewhat dumbfounded by his gentle touch. His eyes opened then and he nodded grimly.

"Yeah, they...they said they have no idea why they didn't catch my problem sooner. They made some excuse about my brain structure, scans getting mixed up...I don't really remember." She knew then he was lying...his photographic memory prevented him from just forgetting something. "But they did tell me that who knows, maybe this could alter my intelligence, but they have no idea, ha ha ha!" He laughed bitterly and his eyes betrayed the humor he was trying to pull off. His eyes suddenly filled with tears and he turned his head sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Cindy slowly reached and placed her other hand over his and he squeezed her fingers tight. "I'm scared," he whispered, and it was the first time in her life she had ever heard him utter those shook her to the core.

"Of what?" she whispered back and he turned to face her, his large blue eyes boring into hers.

"Of it changing everything. Affecting my ability to invent. Or just my life. Or...or not making it." His eyes held hers in a steady gaze and she found herself scooting closer to him.

"Listen to me," she murmured and he swallowed. "I'm scared too. So is your mom. And your dad. And I'm not going to tell you that this isn't a big deal. Because it is. Everything you've gone through...I can only imagine how you're feeling right now." She exhaled slowly and glanced down at their entwined hands. "But you'll get through this, Jimmy. I know it's scary to rely on these people when they didn't catch your injury in the first place, but...but they do know what they're doing. Nothing bad is going to happen to you." She leaned in closer and searched his face. "I promise."

The barest hint of a smile crossed his features and he wiped a stray tear from his cheek. "You know, you actually have no control over that." She raised an eyebrow. "But hearing you say that makes me feel 99.45% better." She punched him lightly on the shoulder and he laughed softly. She joined in not long after. As if on cue, he suddenly stopped and stared at her, wide-eyed and said, "Don't leave yet." She nodded slowly and brought her legs up to sit cross-legged beside him, still holding his hand. "You know," he said as he watched her, "this is...this is nice." He could've meant that moment was nice, or the fact that she was staying was nice, but somehow she knew that what he meant was that _this_ was nice...not arguing. No insults. No competition. Just the two of them, sitting there, enjoying each other's company. Both a little scared, a little nervous. But still happy, amidst the crazy ride they'd been on and everything that had changed.

"I think so too," she sighed and the two stared at each other, fully aware of what the other meant, basking in the comfortable silence.

* * *

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Hugh whispered and Judy slowly shook her head. He reached over slowly and placed his hand over hers.

"I don't know, Hugh," she sighed and cast a glance towards Jimmy's door. She turned back to her husband. "We could...we could take out a second mortgage on the house. Or maybe sell the car? I don't know..."

"What happened to our savings?" Hugh wondered out loud. Judy let out a sad laugh and said,

"They've already gone to the medical expenses. Oh Hugh, I'm so scared..."

"Don't worry," he said, reaching out an arm and pulling her into a hug while stray tears slid down her cheeks. "We'll figure this out. We'll find a way to pay for the surgery. You'll see. Don't worry. Don't worry." He said the words to comfort her, but also himself. This was the last thing she needed on her plate. He intended to fix it.

"Mrs. Neutron?" Judy jumped out of his arms and turned hastily towards the blonde girl, wiping her eyes free of tears in the process. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yes, dear!" Judy assured her, plastering fake joy on her face. "I was just...just discussing some things with Jimmy's dad here. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," Cindy nodded, tugging nervously on the end of her ponytail. "I just thought...well, I've been in there for awhile. I thought you might like to see your son." She did her best to give the Neutrons an innocent smile, like she hadn't heard what had just been said.

"Oh well...of course. We'll be right in," Judy said and Cindy turned away, heading back to Jimmy.

_Interesting, _she thought. _Interesting indeed._

**Review, you lovely person you! **


	8. Happiness Returned To Me

**A/N: Hmmm. I'm not so sure I'm satisfied with this chapter. I've never been too good with the dialogue, so I hope it isn't too bad. Anyways, I wanted to give another thank you to my lovely reviewers! Do you have any idea how happy you make me when you review?! And thank you so very much to _FallenOutTheWindow..._I am flattered by your praises! So yeah, all of your reviews make my day a lot better. Hugs and kisses to you all!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed in a week. I am still, sadly, not in possession of these glorious characters! **

"You may be wondering why I called you all here today," Cindy began, clasping her hands together in front of her. Three pairs of eyes watched her do so, and one member of the groups visibly gulped. "Please, feel free to partake of your desserts." Carl let out a breath of relief and dug in, while Sheen shrieked,

"Oh, _thank Ultra-Lord_!" and proceeded to devour the milkshake in front of him. Cindy watched in disgust, while Libby sat motionless, staring straight at her best friend. Once they made eye contact, she raised an eyebrow and Cindy gave a weak smile as a response.

"Guys," Cindy attempted, but both the hyperactive weirdos were too engrossed in their sugary distractions. "_Guys,_" she tried again, but still to no avail. She gave a deceptively friendly smile, stood in her chair and boomed, "_I WANT TO TALK ABOUT JIMMY._" Most of the Candy Bar went dead silent, including the two imbeciles Jimmy called his best friends. Carl stared in wide-eyed terror, while Sheen froze, strawberry milkshake dripping from his open mouth.

"What about him, girl?" Libby asked quietly, and it seemed to give Carl an odd burst of courage.

"You..." he swallowed. "You're not going to yell again, are you?" Cindy sighed and took her seat, staring at each of them in turn.

"No, guys. I want to give you an update." She rand a hand through her bangs and sighed dejectedly. What was wrong with them all?

"Is he okay?" Sheen bellowed, and she turned on him, suddenly vicious.

"No, Sheen, he's not okay. He needs an operation."

"An operation?" Carl squeaked. Cindy nodded slowly, and Libby visibly blanched. "What kind of operation?"

"An operation on his brain," Cindy sighed. "To stop the seizures." All three of them started talking in unison.

"A _brain _operation? What?!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, _what _seizures?"

"On Jimmy's brain? Isn't that bad?"

"What the heck happened in that accident?"

"Why didn't you _tell_ us?"

"Why didn't you _care?_" Cindy snapped and they all shut up again. "Seriously, how do you even call yourselves his friends? None of you have been in to see him _once_!"

"Now wait just a minute," Libby cooed. "That isn't fair. You were such a mess the day it happened -"

"So that makes it okay?" Cindy snarled.

"You scared the heck out of us! Do you have any idea what that looked like?"

"Yes," Cindy scoffed and crossed her arms. "But you can't blame me, Libs. _None_ of you can." She turned to Sheen and Carl, her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "I thought you two were his best friends. What's your excuse?"

"I..." Sheen started, but his mouth clamped shut. He studied his beverage carefully, watching it bubble as he swirled his straw in the thick mixture.

"Well?" Cindy pressed, but he shrunk into his seat, his face the picture of shame. She was trying to keep her anger in check, but it was hard. How could they do this to Jimmy and not even provide a reason for their absence? Surprisingly, a timid voice suddenly cut into the awkward silence.

"We're afraid." Cindy turned towards Carl, who was staring hard at her. "We're afraid of what's going to happen. We're afraid of how he'll react if we try to visit him now." Cindy stared at the usually-shy boy in shock, when Sheen cut in.

"I'm not afraid! I'm just...giving him space!" Everyone turned and looked at him then, and he ducked beneath the table. Cindy sighed and leaned against her hand, elbow on the table.

"I want you guys to go see him before the surgery," she said and Libby slowly nodded. "He's scared. I'm scared. We're all scared, guys. But he _needs_ us right now. Some support, some care from his friends. I got over it. Why can't you?"

"Will he want to see us?" Libby whispered and Cindy noticed how sad she suddenly looked.

"Of course," she responded in a similar tone. "You know Jimmy. He'd probably forgive Calamitous if he apologized." Weak laughs erupted around the table, but they sobered a moment later. "We're going to see him. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Sheen shrieked. "Isn't that kind of soon?"

"No," Cindy said. "He goes under on Monday." Sheen's eyes widened and she leaned in closer. "Plus it's been like a month, guys. Come on."

"I'll go," Libby sighed and pushed away her bowl of pistachio ice cream. "I really think we should. I mean, just in case..." Her voice slowly faded and Cindy stared at her.

"In case...what?" Libby twirled a braid around her finger and studied the table. "In case he _dies? _Is that it?"

"Cindy," Libby said, voice flat. She rarely used her best friend's first name unless she was either angry or dead serious. "You are getting _way_ too defensive." The two stared each other down for a bit, until Cindy finally sighed and slumped in her seat.

"I know, I'm just...he's been through so much and so much has changed and..." She caught a coy smile that she had seen shared between Sheen and Libby on more than one occasion and she knew what it meant. She scowled. "Really, guys? _Now_ of all times?!"

"Look girl, we know everything has changed. We're not making fun of you, okay? This is serious stuff!" Libby proclaimed, but she crossed her arms with a smile.

"Just...Jimmy," Cindy murmured and Libby's smile quickly disappeared.

"I know," she replied, and she glanced at Carl and Sheen across the table. "What do you think guys?"

"I'll go," Sheen said, strangely subdued for once. All eyes turned to Carl.

"I think...I think..." He raised his spoon and shouted, much to Cindy's chagrin, "I think the three Amigops reign again!"

"The _three_ Amigops?" Libby protested. "What about Cindy an' me?" A small argument broke out amongst the three, but Cindy just sat back and watched, a strange and almost out of place peace settling in her heart. _Mission accomplished._

* * *

"Hey Jimmy," Cindy said softly, creeping up to his bed carefully. He laid there, mumbling incoherently to himself, eyes closed, brow furrowed. "Jimmy?" His mutterings continued and she placed her hands gently on the bed, trying to make out what he was saying.

"...Hubble's Law of Cosmic Expansion...velocity equals rate, or Hubble's constant times distance...Archimedes' buoyancy principles...Wave particle duality..."

"Holy Heisenberg," she said with a wide grin. "What are you doing?" His eyes shot open and he stared at her, his own face breaking into an enormous smile.

"I see what you did there," he said. "I was just...going over some stuff. I've been away from my lab for so long..."

"I know," she said, propping her elbows on the bed, chin in her hands. "Trying to keep your mind sharp or something?"

"Sort of," he said slowly. "I just like to...refresh my mind, I guess. Try to ascertain how much I can remember." He stared at her a minute, and then quickly followed up with, "Stupid, I know. But I've just been here so long - "

"It's not stupid, Jimmy," she replied with a frown. "I understand. But that big brain of yours -" she tapped his head lightly - "...is like a steel trap. You haven't forgotten a thing." He smiled at her and she studied him for a moment. "Listen, Jimmy. I...I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" he said, eyebrow raised.

"Yes," she breathed. She swallowed once and glanced up at the door, to which he quickly looked as well. Three pairs of nervous eyes stared back, and his face broke into yet another ecstatic grin.

"Sheen? Carl? Libby? What...how did you..."

"Hey Jimmy," Libby said, visibly relaxing as her face broke into a happy grin. All three took a hesitant step forward. Cindy could tell, just by their body language that they were...waiting for permission of sorts from Jimmy to enter. Once glance at the genius and she noted his eyes had misted over. He slowly extended his hand, smile trembling.

"Hi guys," he whispered.

It was all they needed.

* * *

"Bye Jimmy. It was real good to see you." Libby patted his hand and he gripped it tight, nodding.

"We'll see you soon, Jimmy! And once you're all better we can watch Llama's Playground on Animal Planet - "

"What?! Heck no! We're having an Ultra-Lord marathon once he's better! Right Jimmy?"

"Noooo, Sheen! That show is too violent! Jimmy will need therapeutic care when he's recovering!"

"Don't be a baby, Carl! Geez, he can take it like a man! Can I hear a _Ultra-Lord versus the Mutant Globbers from Planet 9_?!"

"Guys!" Cindy barked, but Jimmy was laughing as he lay there, watching the exchange with glowing eyes. It had been nearly two hours - two hours of heartfelt apologies, willing forgiveness, and an overall good time with his closest friends. Cindy had watched him the whole time, and he had changed significantly. He seemed lighter, happier, more relaxed. It made her heart swell, even now, to see how thrilled he was at something as stupid as Carl and Sheen's argument.

"I've missed you all so much," Jimmy sighed, and everyone stopped talking. "It was great to see you all again."

"You too, man," Sheen said, seemingly calming a little. Then his eyes lit up. "But I stand firm! I've recorded all the Ultra-Lord specials on VHS and -"

"Time to go, Sheen," Libby interrupted and started tugging his arm, none-too-gently. She turned back one last time and grinned. "See ya later, Jimmy. I'll see you soon. I've gotta get these guys outta here though, before they cause some real damage."

"Llamas are soft and cuddly," Carl mumbled, following them out.

"_Carl!_" Jimmy and Cindy watched them go, and Cindy turned to him, ready to bid him farewell, when he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Cindy," he murmured, studying her face, admiring how the sunlight made her eyes seem to shine. "I...I thought everyone would forget. I mean, my parents didn't, but still..."

"I could never forget," she whispered. Acting on some sort of hidden and new found confidence, she leaned forward slowly and placed a soft, gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Happy birthday, Jimmy."


	9. I'd Never Felt So Content

**A/N: Forgive my prolonged absence! I had a certain idea in my head for how I wanted this to turn out, so it took me a bit to get it just the way I wanted. And lo and behold, it is the longest chapter yet for this story! Thanks again to all my reviewers - I hope you enjoy this installment. :)**

Judy moved slowly through the halls of the hospital. It was eerily quiet this time of night; surprisingly, she thought, since this was the main (and busiest) hospital in Retroville. An odd sort of peace seemed to blanket the place once 10:00 rolled around, like everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, even though everything could change in the blink of an eye. Then again, they weren't near the Emergency Room or anything...perhaps that accounted for the quiet that shrouded everywhere she walked. Deep in thought, she didn't notice an unexpected garbage can that the janitor was emptying, and she jumped nearly six feet in the ear at the resounding crash when her foot hit the can. She murmured a quick apology and continued on her way, heart pounding. She had come to know the ins and outs of this place like her own home, and she found it strangely unsettling that something out of place could scare her so. She shook off the anxiety and continued on her way, making her way to Jimmy's room.

Upon entering, she noticed he was still up, which was to be expected. He turned and looked at her, eyes blazingly blue in the semi-darkness, and she held out a hand. "Here you go, sweetie. Nice and cold." He took the Purple Flurp with a grateful smile.

"Thanks mom," he whispered, and promptly opened the can and took a long, steady drink. A sigh of satisfaction escaped his lips a moment later and he swished the beverage around in his mouth. She sat down slowly beside him, watching him, marveling at how easy it could be to please a child. She longed for the days when she herself could be pleasured so simply.

"Think you'll be able to sleep now?" she asked in a quiet voice, somehow feeling that the tone was appropriate for the stillness of the night. He drummed his fingers against the can, staring at her, and gave a slight shrug.

"To be honest, probably not," he said with a tiny smile. She smiled back, crossed one leg over the other. "Mom," he suddenly said, voice quieter than before. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, baby," she soothed. "I'm just a little nervous about tomorrow is all."

"No..." he trailed off, still studying her. "Something else is going on. I can tell. Please tell me. Maybe I can fix it."

"Jimmy," she said, scooting closer and taking his hand in hers. "Your job right now is to get some sleep, and not worry about anything. It's my turn to fix stuff." She winked at him, but he wasn't buying it.

"Is it money?" he asked softly and she balked.

"Jimmy - "

"It is," he said, studying her face. "Listen, I've been doing some thinking. We can sell one of my inventions. Seriously, one of them could bring in a substantial amount of cash. The hover car or rocket alone could cover my hospital bills, as well as the cost of the surgery. Or I could - "

"Jimmy, no," she interrupted, sounding more stern then she had intended. He looked at her, eyes wide, and she gave the best smile she could muster. "I...I couldn't do that. Neither could your father. Please don't worry about this. We've got it under control, I promise you." He looked at her skeptically, and she could tell he didn't believe a word she said.

Perhaps with good reason.

"But this isn't fair," he whispered. "You shouldn't have to carry the burden. If I can help, I should."

"You are priority number one right now," she said, reaching out and smoothing the short hairs on his head back. "Let's focus on you first, and we'll deal with all the other stuff later. Deal?" He nodded slowly, almost as if it was against his will. "Okay, then." She sat back in her chair, clasping her fingers together on her knee. "So...what's up with you and Cindy?" The question took him off guard and he sputtered a response.

"W-what? Cindy? I...she comes to...well, nothing's _up." _He mentally facepalmed himself. He sounded like an idiot.

"I think she _liiiiiiikes_ you," Judy teased, face breaking into a grin. Jimmy squirmed and scratched his head, eyes shifting left and right.

"Well, all things considered, our relationship has definitely improved. And by relationship I mean completely platonic, friendship-based acquaintance," he added quickly. "We don't fight anymore, which isn't so hard to believe, considering the circumstances. Other than that..." his voice trailed off as he watched his mother's shoulders shake with muffled giggles. "_Mom._"

"I'm sorry sweetie, you two are just so _cute_ together," she breathed, covering her mouth with her fingers in a halfhearted attempt to stifle her laugh. "And she cares so much for you. Trust me." He mumbled something in response, and she nudged him teasingly. "Do you like her too?"

"_Mom,_" he huffed. "Of course I do." His eyes widened at the ease of this unexpected confession, and he quickly attempted to correct it. "I mean, come on. She...she talks to me and she made sure that everybody came in to see me, and she...she..." He sighed dejectedly. "You know."

"Yes I do," Judy said quietly, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "She's a very good friend to you, Jimmy. I think things might have changed permanently between you two."

"I think so too," he responded, swallowing thickly. Was it that obvious to everyone? Or just his mother?

"Well," she said, standing. "You need to get some sleep, mister. Tomorrow's a...big day." His stomach flipped at the thought of his impending surgery, but he did his best to hide it. She bent down and kissed him tenderly on the head and whispered, "I'll leave early tomorrow morning to get your father. And we will both be here, the entire time."

"Okay," he said, suddenly reaching out for her and pulled her into a hug. She held onto him tightly, her only child, murmuring gently in his ear.

"You're going to be fine," she whispered and he nodded into her shoulder. She pulled away and smiled at him, both of their eyes misty with tears.

"Will you stay here with me til I go to sleep?" he asked, almost imperceptibly. She nodded and sat down on the bed with him, rubbing his head like he was a puppy. She began to sing softly to him, watching those intelligent eyes of his slowly shut, just like when he was a baby.

_Lullaby and goodnight, with roses bedight  
With lilies o'er spread is baby's wee bed  
Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed  
Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed_

She watched him carefully begin to relax as her voice lulled him to sleep. He was so smart...so mind-blowingly _brilliant,_ that she sometimes forgot he was still a child - full of questions, of uncertainties, of fears all his own. His intelligence tended to make her think he was older, or at the very least, more mature than other children, and to an extent that was very true. But he was undergoing something no one else they knew had, adults and children alike. It broke her heart. She slowly edged down beside him, watching him drift off, his breathing gradually slowing, becoming steady and calm. She pressed her lips to his ear as a single tear made its way down her face and she finished the song in a breathy rasp.

_Lullaby and goodnight, thy mother's delight  
Bright angels beside my darling abide  
They will guard thee at rest, thou shalt wake on my breast  
They will guard thee at rest, thou shalt wake on my breast_

* * *

The morning sun rose brightly, slowly warming the earth with its powerful rays. Jimmy watched it dreamily, almost as if he was in a trance. He had slept very little through the night, and had awoken around 2:00, finding his mother curled up next to him, sleeping peacefully. He had found her presence oddly comforting, though he was supposed to have grown out of that long ago. He reached out beside him slowly, never taking his eyes off of the window, feeling its empty chill. He sighed softly and closed his eyes, only to reopen them a second later. Going by the sun's position in the sky, it was nearing 7:00 in the morning. Exhaustion was setting in, but he knew it was pointless to try to get back to sleep. _I'll have plenty of time for that in an hour or so._ He smirked at his own thought.

He suddenly found himself wishing Cindy was there. He knew she couldn't be, but he wished it anyway. He wouldn't be seeing her til after the surgery (however long _that _would take) and he realized that the time was going to pass much more quickly for him that it would for his family and friends. He shifted position a bit, as much as he was able, and stared at the ceiling. _Will this be the last time I get to see the sunrise?_ The thought appeared unbidden in his mind, and he quickly glanced out the window again. This was ridiculous. He wasn't going to _die._ Surgeries took place all the time. So what was bugging him?

_Change._ Again, his mind seemed to answer for him without his conscious control. Yet the realization made perfect sense to him. Everything after this would be different. How could it not be? Even if he came out on the other side exactly the same, he'd still have all that had occurred in the past month tucked away in his mind, locked away forever in vivid detail in his photographic memory. The lapses in memory seemed to have stopped since the treatments for the seizure, but that was merely in the short term. He could still remember every single detail of the day of the accident, how it had felt, what his thoughts had been. He shuddered and tried to shut the memories out of his mind.

_"Dad, what is this special you mentioned? It sounds oddly familiar..." Jimmy shoved his backpack to the side, watching his father's face burst into a grin in the front seat. _

_"It's the one we watched last winter when I saw those ducks flying overhead and decided to Google the words ducks and flying and see what comes up and..." Jimmy started to tune his father out as he watched a pickup truck veering dangerously close to the sidewalk. It looked like he was going to hit those people when suddenly -_

_"Dad, look out!" Jimmy yelled and shot forward in his seat to grab the wheel. If worse came to worse, maybe he could get their car out of the way and onto the sidewalk. _

_"Jimmy, no!" His father's cries went unheard as he leaped forward to yank the steering wheel to the right. Hugh saw what he was doing and realized in that split second what was going to happen. Impulsively, he hit the brakes, reaching out to shield his son from the impending crash..._

_...and Jimmy shoved his arm away, grabbing the steering wheel one second too late. _

_The speed they had been going, the force of the oncoming truck, and Jimmy's mistake connected in his mind in the time it took for the cars to collide. His arm was still on his father's until he was hurtled out of the windshield like a bullet from a gun. His father's screams as he broke through the glass sounded far, far away, and all he wanted to do then was shout "I'm sorry!" but pain had overtaken his senses even before he hit the asphalt. _

_My fault. My stupid fault. _

Tears threatened, and he decided to let them fall. If only he had let his father take control. If only he hadn't been such a know-it-all, ready to save the day when he wasn't needed. He had caused this. Just like he had caused every other screw up in his life. Except this time, it wasn't in his control to fix it. He was completely, and utterly, helpless.

He suddenly wondered if his father had let anyone know the truth of what had happened. He somehow doubted it, and it made him feel all the worse that his father would take the blame for the entire event. It just didn't seem fair. _Okay, okay. Slow it down._ He mentally willed his brain to stop working on overtime and he tried his best to relax, pushing the thoughts from his mind. It wouldn't be long now.

Not long at all.

* * *

Jimmy had watched a movie once where a guy had cancer and towards the end, was getting prepped for surgery to remove it. Real life suddenly seemed very far and distant from the movies, and his mind kept wandering as the nurses explained what they were doing, what was going to happen, and introduced him to his surgeon. He was tempted to ask about his success rate, or at the very least, where he had gone to college, but he bit his tongue. Being a smart aleck at this point would do him no good. He began counting down the minutes until he would go under, and butterflies erupted in his stomach. He couldn't understand why he was feeling this way. He had fought aliens off, competed on an intergalactic game show, and faced some of the greatest evils in the world and never _once_ had he felt this way. He hated it.

Voices drifted softly from somewhere, and he could recognize the surgeon's who he had just met. Then his mother. He focused intently, and though they were obviously trying to keep their voices down, he caught every word.

"Dangerous. Yes. I cannot say for certain if his intelligence will be affected or not...there are too many factors to consider."

"What are the chances, then?"

"Hard to say. To play it safe, I'll say 50/50. I'm sorry, but I cannot give you an exact answer."

"I understand, but...he'll be safe, right?"

"Of course, Mrs. Neutron. He is in good hands."

"Jimmy?" The sudden sound of his name made him jump, and he turned towards the voice with a racing heart. Cindy stood before him, but she didn't look like herself. Her hair was no longer in its signature ponytail; instead, it flowed freely around her shoulders in soft curls and he stared at it, transfixed. She was wearing a pink halter dress that was randomly spotted with white daisies, with a matching short-sleeved shrug over her shoulders that buttoned down the middle. Her legs were bare and her feet were enclosed in white ballet flats. He noticed then that she had a small violet tucked behind her ear. She looked...well, she looked incredible.

"Cindy," he breathed, and she made her way over. "You...you look like an angel." Her cheeks reddened at his words, but she stared him right in the eyes.

"Thanks. I...I'm on my way to the conference center. My...my essay is being considered in the top three. Apparently there's a oral segment I have to do, but that's besides the point," she said with a wave of her hand. Her face softened then and she eyed him intensely. She smelled like strawberries. And her lips were shiny. _Wow. _"I wanted to come see you before you...before everything happens. To wish you good luck and all that. Which is pretty stupid," she rambled on with a nervous laugh, "since you'll be asleep the whole time, and - "

"Hey," he said softly, reaching out to her. She took his hand gently and he squeezed it. "It's okay. It's all gonna be okay." Her eyes watered and she gave him a weak smile. He smiled back and beckoned for her to come closer. She leaned down next to his head and he whispered in her ear, "I'm real proud of you, Cindy. You're going to do great in this contest. And just for the record, I didn't mean what I said that day. You best me in the arts without even trying." He wasn't sure if she remembered or not, but she certainly seemed to when she let out a muffled laugh that sounded more like a sob. Impulsively, he kissed her gently on the cheek. Both froze in shock for a moment, then watched as blood rushed into their cheeks and they tried to look at anywhere but each other. Cindy reached up slowly and touched the spot where his lips had met her skin, and then, realization dawning, she threw herself on him and wrapped him in a hug. It was as if he had anticipated her action and he was ready to catch her, burying his face into her sweet-smelling hair. They held each other - for how long, neither of them knew - until Cindy pulled back, placing her hands on his shoulders, gazing deep into his eyes.

"I'll see you when it's all over," she rasped, voice husky from her held-back tears. He nodded slowly and she smiled, rubbing the top of his freshly-shaven head. "As soon as the conference is done, I'll be here. Waiting. The whole time. Okay?" He nodded again, amazed at how much had changed between them, and was at a loss for words.

"C-Cindy," he finally managed. "I...I need to tell you something. I...I just never had the courage to say it. M-my pride was in the way. Cindy, I -"

"Okay!" an annoyingly chipper voice called out. "It's time, Jimmy. We need to take you in." Cindy turned in frustrated anger, and noted two things at that moment.

1. That guy's face was _really _irritating and

2. Judy Neutron was standing there, eyes misty, watching them.

_Did she see...?_

The male nurse strolled past and grabbed a hold of Jimmy's gurney, pushing him out into the hallway. Cindy watched in detached numbness as Hugh and Judy gave him a long, tender hug, whispering words of tearful comfort. She walked slowly towards him, wondering what he had been about to say, yet somehow instinctively _knowing._ It gave her that weird sense of peace again, and she knew...she just _knew,_ everything was going to be fine.

* * *

"Okay, Jimmy. Just lie still and start counting backwards from 100."

_Cindy. I wish I'd been able to tell you. _

_100._

_I wish I hadn't wasted so much time. _

_99_

_I wish this wasn't what made us finally realize how dumb we were being._

_98_

_I...wish..._

_97_

_to...say..._

_96_

_love_

_95_

_you._..

Judy, Hugh, and Cindy watched from behind a glass panel as his eyelids fluttered and then finally shut. It had begun.

* * *

**You know, I was reading through the past chapters here, and I must say, I am greatly unsatisfied with how short they are. I should fix that. Anyway, please review and make me a happy duck. Love you all!**


	10. My Vision Can Render The Scene

**A/N: UGH. I did NOT mean to take so long to update. Curse my well of inspiration...it dried up for a bit, but the rains of creativity soon swept in and helped me finish this chapter. All ridiculous metaphors aside, I apologize if parts of this chapter are confusing...the next one should answer all questions. Another thank you to all my lovely reviewers! Seriously, even a one word review makes my day. LIKE A STEAK MAKES A STARVING MAN'S DAY.**

**Ooookay. Shutting up. Hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I own these characters not. Depressed it makes me. **

Cindy stared hard at her shoes, bringing the tips of her toes together with a quiet _bang_ as they collided, then separated them and continued the process a few more times. She sighed, wiping her sweaty palms against her pretty dress...she had been sitting on them for too long. A quick glance at the clock told her how much time had passed, and she mentally cursed herself for looking. The words _three hours_ danced around in her brain and she shut her eyes. This was brutal, and she wasn't the only one feeling it. Mrs. Neutron couldn't even sit in one place, and she was currently up and about, pacing the endless halls of the hospital. Mr. Neutron was sitting three seats down from her, flipping aimlessly through a magazine. It struck her then that no one really knew what to do here...what was the proper reaction? She didn't know. The best she could do was sit here, staring off into space, contemplating everything that was on her mind. She still felt that misplaced sense of calm from earlier, fleeting as it was, and she did her best to hang onto it. Right now, it was all she had.

Drummed her fingers against the arms of the chair. Stood up, sat down, stood up again, sat back down. Glance at the clock, pinch herself for doing so, shut her eyes. This was terrible. She had been so worried about _this_...her oral presentation at the conference center had actually gone off without a hitch, she had been so focused on the bigger issue at hand, which was far more important. She sighed softly and leaned her head against the back of her chair. For some reason, her brain decided to remember at that point everything she was supposed to have done this summer...the plans she had made with Libby to go to Retroland every day for a month, or however long it took to go on every ride twice...the karate tournament she had meant to sign up for...the trip she was supposed to go on with her aunt to Maryland, the babysitting gig she was supposed to have with the Parker twins down the street, the sundae-eating contest at the Candy Bar she had wanted to do...

All those things that seemed painfully insignificant and petty now.

Even if she hadn't wanted it to, _this_ had taken over her life. Jimmy getting better. That was it. And in the month and a half since they had strayed so far from their oh-so-regular routine, Cindy finally felt like she understood who she was now. It felt good.

"Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" Her eyes popped open to the sight of Judy sitting next to her, handing her a can of Purple Flurp. She took it with a smile, suddenly realizing she hadn't eaten or drank anything for hours. Mrs. Neutron was intuitive like that. _Must be a mom thing._

"I'm fine. Thank you, Mrs. Neutron." She popped the can open and took a long sip, swishing the sugary goodness around in her mouth, just like Jimmy had the night before. Judy watched, marveling at the strange similarity. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yes," Mrs. Neutron responded with a tiny smile. "Just a little anxious. But we haven't heard anything, and no news is good news, right?"

"Right," Cindy said with a nod. _At least, I hope so. _

"And you simply must tell me what this getup is about," Judy suddenly gushed, eyeing Cindy up and down. "You look absolutely beautiful, sweetheart. I thought I might have heard something about a contest?"

"Oh...y-yes," Cindy stammered. "It was an essay contest I entered a few weeks ago. Apparently we had to present it orally for them to pick the winner, which I didn't know until yesterday. But it went really well."

"That's wonderful," Judy murmured, crossing her fingers together in her lap. She let out a small puff of breath, and it was then Cindy realized she was far more nervous than she was letting on. "So did you win? Or do you not find that out til later?"

"Oh..." Cindy trailed off, staring straight ahead. "No, I didn't win."

"Oh," Judy responded in a similar tone. "Well, I'm sorry honey."

"It's okay," she said with a shrug. "There are more important things in life."

"Agreed," Judy nodded and an awkward silence settled between them. Judy cast a glance over at her husband, who was uncharacteristically quiet and subdued for once. "I think I'm going to take another stroll around with Mr. Neutron," she said slowly, as if it were the wrong thing to say. "He's supposed to be up and about anyway. Did you want to join us?" It was a weird question, and they both realized it at the same time, but neither acknowledged it.

"No, that's okay," Cindy said, clacking her shoes together again. "I'll just hang around here."

"Okay. Alright then," she said and stood. She paused then and leaned down, her eyes wide and serious. "Cindy, I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate you being here. And everything you've done for Jimmy. It means the world to him. And to me too."

"Of course," Cindy whispered. "I'm happy to be here. For all you guys." Judy's eyes watered, and before she knew what was happening, Jimmy's mother had scooped her up into a hug. The act was oddly comforting - Cindy's mother hadn't hugged her since she was a small child, and she had thought she wouldn't like them anyway. But she found herself hugging this terrified woman back, in a sincere attempt to comfort her, as if she was the child instead. Judy sniffed hard and released her, casting one last smile in her direction, before turning swiftly and coaxing Hugh to stand. It was at that moment Cindy knew the decision she had made was the right one, even if a little lying was involved.

Everything seemed eerily quiet once more, and she glanced at the clock again, but for a different reason this time. If she had purposely manipulated the situation, it actually couldn't have worked out better. She just hoped that Jimmy's parents didn't come back too soon. She watched in eager anticipation as the minute hand came closer and closer to the twelve, and once the clock read noon, she jumped out of her chair and made her cautious way to her destination. Upon arriving at the front desk, she glanced around eagerly for the person she was waiting to see, but didn't spot her. She checked quickly to see if the Neutrons were around, then walked towards the exit like she owned the place. She had barely set food on the pavement outside when a familiar face was spotted and a deep, slightly snobbish voice heard.

"Goodness Cynthia, I do apologize for my tardiness. I was stuck behind the most _obnoxious _driver, and would you look at this...I am two minutes late. Ridiculous."

"It's okay, mom," Cindy quickly responded and ushered her inside. "I just need to get this done as quickly as possible."

"Cynthia," her mother said slowly, casting an intense eye on her. "Are you one hundred percent positive you want to do this?"

"Yes," she responded immediately. "There is not a doubt in my mind." As if to prove her point, she reached into her mother's purse and pulled out an envelope with gold lettering on the flap. She stared at it for just a second, then back up at her mother.

"Well," Sasha Vortex huffed, and for the briefest moment, Cindy saw a glimmer of pride in her eyes. "I suppose we should get this done, then." Cindy nodded quickly in response, and the two of them made their way to the proper destination.

* * *

Not long after, time found the same group from earlier huddled in the waiting room, halfheartedly playing a game of Go Fish. Cindy seemed oddly distracted, Hugh continued his silent demeanor, and Judy was trying to think of a way to keep the tension at bay. Thus far, nothing was working. Jimmy had been gone for just over five hours now, and the hands on the clock seemed to be moving backwards. It was driving her nuts. Yet she knew she had to stay calm, for everyone's sake. Letting out a small sigh, she sent a silent prayer to heaven, begging for Jimmy's safety. At this point, she knew nothing else she could do.

Hugh sat watching his wife listlessly hand a card over to Cindy, a dull expression in her usually-vibrant eyes. He had felt a deepening burden in his heart since the day this all began, and he could not deny his own involvement. He would often have flashbacks to those horrible moments right before his only child was ejected from the car. It sent cold chills down his spine, and plagued his dreams. Regret was not a word powerful enough to describe what he was feeling; this burden went far beyond the clutches of physical stress...it crushed his soul. Yet he knew that he had to remain collected and not unleash the guilt that cut him so.

Cindy was the only one who felt that strange peace remain in her heart. Her thoughts wandered as she absentmindedly played another card, hardly even noticing the clock anymore. A phone rang somewhere off in the distance. Feet pattered against the dirty tiled floor. With the exception of her breathing, it was the only thing she could hear.

Until a door slammed and the swishing of scrubs echoed quietly in the halls, while a timid voice called out, "Mrs. Neutron?" At the sound of her name, Judy bolted from her seat and practically ran to the kindly nurse, who clasped her hands professionally in front of her.

"How is he?" Judy asked in a worried whisper, but the nurse's face remained unreadable.

"We're bringing him out of the anesthesia now," she said calmly. "Everything went well. You should be able to see him shortly." Judy pressed a shaking hand to her mouth, tears filling her eyes. She managed to mouth a breathy "Thank you," before bursting into tears completely. Cindy was by her side in a moment and gently took her hand. Hugh followed closed behind, and the three stared at each other for a moment, before he scooped them both up in a tremendous hug. Cindy could feel her own tears suddenly gushing down her face, but they were welcome this time around. No more tears of pain, or worry, or fear. At that moment, each one of them was feeling the exact same thing: relief. And it felt so good to finally let go of this nightmare. With the given information, Cindy finally felt like they could all start over now. Maybe it was premature, or even silly of her, but Jimmy finally being on the road to recovery was such a blessing, such a _gift,_ that it took everything within her to not go rushing down the hallway to try and find him.

"It's over," Judy whimpered.

And this time, Cindy was certain it was.

* * *

**Review, if you want to see Jimmy LIVE. (Okay, just kidding, but a review would make me smile)**


	11. The Daylight Poured In

**A/N: Heyo! Sorry this took long...I was trying to get a certain atmosphere going with this official last chapter, so it took me awhile to "perfect" it. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. **

Cindy practically sped-walked into the hospital. It was an absolutely beautiful day - the sun was beaming down, but a gentle breeze was blowing to offset the heat. A bird chirped happily in the trees overhead, but the sound dissipated once she entered the doors and was hit with a blast of freezing air. She felt as if she knew this place by heart; it was oddly comforting as she followed the same path she had for the past six weeks...up these stairs, down this corridor, left through this door, left again at the end of this hallway. The hesitation she had once experienced was gone, and the feelings she now had was something akin to the excitement when entering a friend's house. Upon setting foot in Jimmy's room, she paused for just a moment and took everything in - the sunshine beaming through the windows, the shine of the floor, and the grinning, big-headed boy that was staring intently at her.

"Hey," she said gently, making her way towards him with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Hey," he said, eyeing her up and down. He reached out for her and she instantly embraced him, grinning slightly at the feel of his fuzzy head against her cheek. This no longer felt weird, to either of them. It felt normal, it felt comforting, it felt _good._ And she was loving every minute of it.

He sighed softly into her hair and then pulled back, his wide, shining eyes staring directly into hers. "How are you?"

"I'm...I'm really good," she managed, sitting down beside him. She paused a moment and then asked softly, "Can I see it?" He raised an eyebrow, but leaned forward, a smile tugging at his lips. She sat up slightly and looked upon his head, and she could instantly see where the incision had been made. She had never really been the squeamish type, but the crisscross of stitches that lined the forming scar made her cringe. As if he could sense her discomfort, he pulled back and looked at her again.

"Gross, isn't it?"

"No, it just...it looks painful," she said with a shrug.

"Nah, it's not that bad. And besides, once my hair grows back, you won't be able to see it. Either one of them, actually," he said, pointing to the still-healing scar on the front of his head - the most severe accident-related injury.

"Yeah," she murmured. Silence settled and she desperately thought of something to say, but he beat her to the punch.

"So they say I'm healing well. And...and I should be allowed to go home this week." She practically squealed with delight and said,

"Really? That's great!"

"I know," he said quietly. "It almost feels...like a dream. Like...something is going to stop it from happening again." He cast his intense gaze upon her. "But I'm no longer afraid of that happening."

"You shouldn't be," she said, scooting closer. "You're doing really well, Jimmy. And it's sort of funny to think that they thought the operation might have a negative impact on your intelligence, when instead..." she knocked gently against his skull with a smile. "...they now think your "superior brain function" might actually be contributing to your healing."

"Yeah, but what do _they_ know," he said, matching her smile, taking her hand from his head and wrapping his fingers around it. "I'm sure that, had I been freed from my drugged state sooner, I could have cured myself. Probably a lot sooner, too."

"Good to know your superiority complex is alive and kickin'," she said dryly, and he erupted into a thunderous laugh. It was a laugh she had not heard for what felt like a very long time - a laugh deep and rich and carefree, free from the burdens of physical pain or worry. She watched his eyes dance, his long lashes brush his cheeks, the white teeth that graced his smile. He seemed different somehow, but it took only a second for her to pin a word to this particular reaction.

_Alive._

"I must say, I did miss your sarcasm, Vortex," he finally managed once he calmed down. "You're just not you with all this sentimentalism."

"Speak for yourself," she said with a grin. "I'm not blind, you know." He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and she nodded towards the windowsill in the back of the room. He shifted his gaze there for but a moment, before returning it back to her.

"That...that's my mother's doing. She had misplaced hopes that putting them in the sunlight might revive them somehow, thinking she could reverse the natural process of entropy, or decay if you will, which did actually inspire me to look into such a concept when I'm out of here, but - "

"Jimmy? Shut up," she said, and before she let herself think twice, she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. It was supposed to be a quick peck, but he hardly even hesitated before kissing her back, as if he'd been expecting it. It was a wonderful feeling, like sparks that sent tingles to the tips of her toes and into her very core. It didn't last long, but by the time it was over, she was practically floating three feet above the bed. A quick glance at the genius, and it was obvious he was feeling the same...he had a dopey smile on his face, and was as red as a tomato. They both looked at each at the same time, and a strange warmth crept up her neck.

"Guess it was about time that happened, huh?" he asked softly and she bit her lip.

"Guess so. Um...what are the odds of it ever happening again?"

"Would you like the actual number, or would you rather I just kiss you again?"

"Well..."

The sunlight shone down on the two children, who for the first time in over a month, were both happy and content. Everything in the world seemed perfect, like they had gone through all of this - the pain, the heartache, the burden - to finally reach the good on the other side, and appreciate life for everything it had to offer. It was wonderful. A new path had been formed, and they were both well on their respective ways to recovery - physically and emotionally.

And from the windowsill, a vase of crispy violets watched silently, blowing ever so slightly in the summer breeze.

* * *

"I'm sorry, there...there must be some mistake."

"Not from our end, Mrs. Neutron. According to our records, there is no payment due."

"I don't understand."

"I am simply telling you what I see, ma'am. The bills have been paid in full."

"There must be some mistake," Judy pressed, still unwilling to believe this unexpected stroke of good fortune. How was this possible?

"Even so, you come out on top. Quite a fortunate mistake if you ask me." The receptionist was a kindly woman, but Judy could tell she was pushing her boundaries. Confused, she swept a piece of her hair behind her ear and let out a long puff of breath.

"Yes, I suppose I do. But is there a way to find out...to find out how this happened?" The receptionist gave a slight nod, focusing on whatever was appearing on her screen.

"Well, all I can see is that the bills were paid with a check, by a...institution of some sort? An Education program. That's all I can see." Questions swarmed at a mile a minute in Judy's mind, but she simply nodded.

"Okay. Okay, then. Thank you so much." The receptionist gave her another friendly smile, and Judy turned and walked away briskly. What was going on here? What had she missed? Who had paid for the surgery?

She closed her checkbook slowly and placed it back into her purse. Suddenly feeling the need to sit, she lowered herself heavily into a chair in the entrance to the hospital. She rubbed her temples slowly, feeling both gratitude and insane curiosity at the same time. She let out a small puff of breath and grabbed the local newspaper that was sitting in the chair next to hers, scanning the pages quickly. She wanted to give Cindy and Jimmy enough time to talk alone. They hadn't been able to do so since before his surgery, several days prior. She absentmindedly rubbed the back of her knuckles against her cheek, studying a coupon for half-off brand name cleaning products. Her own thoughts were plaguing her. She turned the page again.

And found a familiar face staring back at her.

She paused a moment, blinked, and the thought _Why, that looks like Cindy! _crossed her mind before she realized it _was_ Cindy. All dressed up from the day of the surgery, a fake grin plastered on her face, shaking hands with a balding man in a black suit. In her other hand she was holding a piece of paper, and her mother stood by her side, a proud but snobbish smile on her lips. Judy smiled, but her face quickly dropped with the onset of a new question: _why is Cindy in the paper? _A quick glance at the headline answered her question:

LOCAL GIRL WINS CHILDREN'S EDUCATION ESSAY CONTEST

Cynthia Vortex (pictured above) is this year's winner of the essay contest held by the Children's Education Program of North America. This year's prompt, _What Act of Kindness Could Change the World? _inspired a thought-provoking composition on the motivations of the contestant's young friend, in the face of personal tragedy. And it seems the judges thought so too, as she was awarded with the hefty cash prize...

Judy read the entire article, beginning to end, several times. Realization had hit her from the moment she started reading it, and tears threatened yet again. How could a child of her age be so selfless? So caring, so compassionate? Judy glanced down again at the picture of the young, beautiful girl who had completely turned her attitude around. How many times had she heard stories of this girl tormenting her son? How many times had Jimmy come home, complaining of her stubbornness and know-it-all attitude? And now she had done this. She had given up the prize, and all for the family.

Why, the girl then and the girl now were two completely different people.

Tears streamed unbidden down her face. She was amazed. Just absolutely one hundred percent amazed.

She clutched the paper to her chest and stared out the windows. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she finally noticed again the way the sun warmed the earth with its lovely rays, the way the trees blew in the whispers of the breeze, the way people laughed and smiled at each other. She could breathe again. She had peace. And deep in her heart she knew life would never be the same, but it didn't really seem like such a bad thing anymore. Standing, she started to make her way slowly back to Jimmy's room.

_What act of kindness could change the world? That which can be found in the acts of the heart, in which nothing is gained from it, no selfish ambition is considered. And which nothing in return is expected. _

* * *

**Stay tuned! I've still got one more for ya'll. :)**


	12. I Survived A Dreadful Accident

**A/N: Well guys, here we are, at the end. This has been such an amazing journey for me. I never expected to get as many reviews/faves as I did, and I am eternally grateful for all who read my story. This was the first full-length fan fic I ever did, and I am so encouraged by the positive feedback. You have no idea how much it means to me!**

**I wanted to give a special shout-out to _TheWonderfulShoe_, who, as far as I know, left a review for every chapter. Thank you so very much! I was thrilled at the prospect of having such a loyal reader. :) **

**And just for the heck of it guys, why not check out the song _Hospital Flowers_ by Owl City and get a feel for what inspired this story? Just a suggestion, if you feel so inclined!**

**Again, thank you so much, to everyone! **

~Epilogue~

Jimmy walked slowly down the sidewalk, eyeing the sights about him with a curious air. He let out a small puff of breath, watching it turn into a white cloud as soon as it hit the icy air. He shoved his hands in his pockets and continued his trek. He slowed when he passed a familiar-looking gate and felt a misplaced sense of compassion at the FOR SALE sign hanging in the window. The place hadn't even lasted a year. He shook his head then, wondering why those particular thoughts were even crossing his mind. Gently, he placed his hand on the gate's handle and took a moment to re-live the moments from the last time he had stood here. A quiet sigh escaped his lips and he pulled himself away, walking onwards. He didn't have far to go now.

Several moments later, he was at his destination, studying the street signs and the few people who had decided to venture out into the cold evening. He found it somewhat amazing how different a place could look, all depending on your perspective. It was all about a time and a place, and this was one instance in his life he was happy was over.

He closed his eyes and the scene played out before him yet again. That darned accident. It would be hard to forget, but he knew the passage of time would dull the memory. But being here, right now, was to supposed to serve only one purpose, and that purpose was closure. He had not set foot in this particular part of town since his release from the hospital five months ago, and he had not been too eager to return. He was glad he had come to the point where he realized how ridiculous that was. Being here now...it didn't seem like such a big deal.

Someone suddenly approached from behind, and wrapped a cold hand around his own. "How're you doing?" a soft voice whispered. He turned and smiled, squeezing the hand resting so perfectly in his own.

"Just fine," he responded, and Cindy gave a grin in return. They both turned and took in the scene in silence, pondering their own private thoughts. So much had changed since the last time they were here; they were as close with the same old gang, neither one holding any grudges. They had started middle school together with happy and forgiving hearts, taking on the new adventure together. And though it came as just a bit of a surprise to everyone that Cindy and Jimmy were officially "together," everyone was quick to accept it with thoughts of, _It's about time!_ Life was good again.

From above, gentle snowflakes started to fall: a rare occurrence that neither of the children had seen in their lifetime in Retroville, and one that that would not happen again until their last year of high school. Jimmy closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of the tiny white flakes melting on his face. Cindy watched, transfixed at his tranquil expression, and it made her appreciate even more the fact that she was standing beside him. Life could certainly throw some curve balls, but she had learned that it was how you dealt with it that made you into the person you would become - good, or bad. Life was a treasure neither she, nor the boy beside her, would ever take for granted again.

"Okay," Jimmy suddenly said. He squeezed her hand, but kept his eyes on the wet street. "Let's go home." She nodded, and the two turned in unison with each other, away from the memories of a boiling summer day that had altered the course of their lives forever. It was an interesting paradox, considering how they would both rather forget the horrors - yet without it, life as they knew it would not exist. The thought drew her closer to him, and she had no idea he had the same thoughts swimming in his own massive mind.

The lights slowly faded as night overtook the small town. The figures on the streets soon disappeared into the warmth and comfort of their homes, and a few twinkling stars popped into the black sky. Life continued on, as it always did...a bittersweet series of events full of thrills, heartbreak, routine, and the choices that can only result in one possible outcome.

And for two certain kids who lived across the street from each other, it was a lesson they would never forget.

_"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." _

**FINIS.**

* * *

**Btdubs, that quote is from Mae West. Thanks again for reading. Hope to see you soon!**


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